


Together We’re Lost (In A Dream)

by ikibaek



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Fantasy, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:27:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 46,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24945352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikibaek/pseuds/ikibaek
Summary: For Kyungsoo, to be young is to be ignorant and incapable of self care.For Jongin, to be old is to lose himself forever.*Inspired by the story of Peter Pan.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	1. One

Tiny spots of light glistened all around, decorating the walls and ceiling of Kyungsoo's lavish bedroom. It was like staring up into the night sky at the millions of beautiful stars above him, each one whispering sweetly down to him. At least, that's what he imagined it to look like; living in the centre of Victorian London, Kyungsoo had never seen stars.

In a few years time he would be encouraged to follow in his late father's footsteps and gain his own place within an established law firm, not simply under his uncle's wing. Then, he would marry a beautiful lady from a wealthy family like his own, leaving his brothers to run the house alone until it was their turns.

Since his mother and father passed, Kyungsoo had been forced to grow up far earlier than most boys his age, being left with no choice but to become the master of the house at the (almost) tender age of fifteen. Now, one year later, he earned enough to support himself and his two brothers with a job at his uncle's law firm, and the substantial inheritance left to them in his parents' will was more than enough for them to live comfortably.

But Kyungsoo would sometimes find himself lying back on his bed and lighting the little lamp his father gifted to him so many years ago, the countless stars that littered the room enough to make him feel like a child again.

Tonight was no different, except the knowledge that he must attend the annual masquerade dance in just a few hours loomed over him like a great black cloud. The dance served to introduce young men and women to each other in hopes of their families finding them a suitable partner, and since he was sixteen years of age, Kyungsoo was now obliged to attend. Though many of the girls longed for the day they would be old enough to go, every wealthy boy in the town despised the tedious dance, and Kyungsoo was no exception. At least he had the liberty of choosing his own match, yet he was certain his aunt and uncle would insist on their input.

Of course, at a mere fourteen years old Sehun was given the option to attend, to which he hastily declined. And, since the night of the dance fell a fair few months before Zitao's sixteenth birthday, he too rejected the invitation.

Which was how Kyungsoo found himself attending the dreaded masquerade dance alone, assuming that the footman of the horse and carriage failed to count as his 'plus one'.

~

Pale skin, broad shoulders, perfectly curved figure accentuated by the black and white suit that hugged it. A mop of tousled black hair was swept upwards to show off the extravagant mask, which curled elegantly down one side of the boy's face and came to a point just above his top lip.

The intricate gold designs adorning the black and cream leather mask only highlighted the soft curves of the boy's lips, the subtle slope of his button nose and the large, rounded eyes that were lined with glistening jewels and sequins.

The mask gleamed and shimmered as the boy danced and twirled merrily under the soft glow of the ballroom lights, his doe eyes crinkling up into perfect crescents.

Oh, how he wished to see the rest of the boy's face again. His beauty was truly ethereal and utterly incomparable.

A soft, barely audible cough sounded just to the left of his ear, a tiny sprinkle of golden fairy dust landing on his bare collarbone as a result.

"Yes, hyung, you are just as beautiful."

"Damn right, I am. Now, are you going to talk to this boy or not?"

He watched on earnestly as a young girl twirled daintily under the boy's raised arm, the skirt of her dress fanning outwards before her hands came to rest back on the boy's shoulders.

The idea was tempting - after all, he possessed enough charisma and charm to easily approach the boy and ask him to dance - but, if the attire of the guests before him was anything to go by, he supposed that a dark green outfit made of leaves and twigs was anything but appropriate for a masquerade dance.

"I dare say I'd make a terrible first impression looking like this," he sighed, turning his head just slightly to whisper to the small fairy perched on his right shoulder, "but there is always next t-"

Apparently, fairies do not believe in next times (or respecting the decisions of others), for he found himself stumbling forward into the crowd of dancers, just barely catching the boy in the suit as they twirled into each other's hold, instantly working together to keep in time with the other dancers around them. Suprisingly, the boy was just a few inches smaller than him, yet fit so naturally into his hold.

A wave of panic rushed through him as the boy's eyes widened in shock, and he looked down to find that the dark green one-piece was gone, instead replaced by a perfectly pressed tuxedo. Something soft and feathery tickled his left cheek, and only then did he notice the velvety feeling of the mask that now hid the upper half of his face. Damn fairies and their magic.

Lips twitching up into a small smirk of satisfaction, he fixed a sturdier purchase on the boy's waist, his other hand clasping the milky white palm just a little tighter. "I was expecting to twirl into a lady, I must admit, but you're probably a lot more beautiful than any of them."

"Probably?" the boy echoed, his unexpectedly deep yet soft voice laced with a playful undertone. "You don't think I'm definitely more beautiful?"

"I can't be sure. Your mask may prove to have been very deceiving once it's removed."

The boy chuckled, light and airy. "Well I'm very sorry to disappoint you, sir, but I can't possibly be compared to the beauty of the ladies here."

Glancing fleetingly around the dance floor, the taller male tried his best to catch sight of the girls' faces. As simple as it sounded the act was nearly impossible, considering that all of the females in the area were dancing and rotating rapidly clockwise with their partners, the energy in their steps lifting them off of the floor with every skip.

"Nah," he said, returning his gaze to the grinning boy dancing and spinning with him. "You're much prettier than them."

The boy laughed a hearty and angelic laugh, though the soft pink hue that embellished his cheeks was unmissable. "How dare you flirt with me so shamelessly without even introducing yourself!" He lifted his eyebrows expectantly, lips pursed in his efforts to suppress a wide smile.

"My name is Jongin," the other replied with his ever present boyish grin. "Now may I continue flirting?"

"Do you have a surname, Jongin?" the boy pressed, more laughter spilling from his heart-shaped lips, yet there was now the addition of laboured breathing as the exertion of the dancing began to creep up on them.

"What is the use of a surname if you don't belong anywhere?" Jongin questioned as the song began to come to a close. Both were unsure whether to be thankful or regretful; sweat was not welcome, yet neither was the inevitable changing of partners that came with each new song.

Before the small boy could question the other's words, he was sent twirling under his arm and into the hold of a lady, the firm tanned hand that held his just moments ago now replaced with a much smaller, much more feminine one.

As the pace of the dancing slowed to fit the orchestra's next song, the boy glanced over the shoulder of the young lady before him and looked around, craning his neck to see over the heads of the other dancers.

Yet Jongin was nowhere to be seen.

~

"How was the dance, hyung?" Sehun asked when his eldest brother returned home that night. The boy had arrived back from the dance seemingly far happier than when he had left, an easy smile resting at the corners of his lips as he slipped off his mask.

"It was okay," Kyungsoo shrugged. "Nothing special."

Exchanging a brief look with Zitao who had just come into the room, Sehun narrowed his eyes at the smallest brother in suspicion. After a moment, his face split into a mischievous grin and Kyungsoo awaited the cheeky remark. "You met someone, didn't you? Don't lie, I can tell just by looking at your face."

Shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other, Kyungsoo figured there was no point in lying. "I.. I guess I did, yeah." A flash of tanned skin and sharp eyes entered his mind briefly, and he willed the heat away from his cheeks.

"Who was she?" Zitao asked, attempting to play it cool as he took a seat at the small table, though it would take a fool not to notice the intrigue in the way he leaned forward just slightly.

Even though his brothers both knew of his deepest secret, Kyungsoo's stomach still gave a tiny flutter as he spoke. "Actually... he was called Jongin."

A sharp gasp sounded as Zitao slapped both hands over his mouth, Sehun's eyes widening enormously with both interest and concern.

"Hyung, you... did anyone see you with him?" Zitao asked with a tone of anxiety in his voice. There was no reason to be offended, for Kyungsoo understood the worries his brothers had.

"I don't think so." He shook his head with a reassuring smile. "It was an accident, really. He meant to end up with the girl I was dancing with, of course, but he just grabbed me instead by mistake."

Still his younger brothers both seemed sceptical, but they soon dropped the matter in favour of more pressing questions.

"Was he handsome?" Zitao tentatively asked, eyes widened with interest.

"Did you like him?" Sehun grinned, wiggling his brows suggestively.

Tossing a couch cushion at each of their heads, Kyungsoo tutted in mock disapproval and trotted up to his room, a rather smug smile accompanying him as he went.

~

Weeks went by and Kyungsoo had all but forgotten about the dance, except thoughts of Jongin frequently occupied his mind. His uncle had pried and pried in the days following the masquerade ball, but had soon given up after learning that no lady had caught his nephew's eye. He hadn't taken the news lightly, grumbling and hissing that the young boy's time was running out, but there was nothing more he could do except complain - Kyungsoo was of age, after all, and was allowed to make his own decision.

As expected, only his brothers knew of the elusive boy at the ball. Unfortunately for him, society didn't take so well to foreign faces, even less so to men who favoured their own gender. And since he fitted into both of those categories, Kyungsoo was rather at a disadvantage.

If his father hadn't had such an elite place in society when he emigrated from South Korea earlier in the nineteenth century, the Do family wouldn't be living quite so comfortably. Of course, things worsened a little with the passing of his parents - the neighbours no longer bothered to hide their disgust and disapproval, and Kyungsoo was left to protect his brothers from the scrutiny of the townsfolk alone.

All things considered, he was beyond thankful that both their house staff and his brothers' tutor were close enough to the family that they were able to look past their ethnicity. That being said, there would be absolutely no mercy were anyone to find out about Kyungsoo's sexual preference.

It was this that he pondered as he walked through the streets to the bakery after work one day, not surprisingly accompanied by memories of Jongin's intoxicating eyes and his perfectly plump lips. Oftentimes, he found himself wondering how those lips would feel against his own, how warm and soft they must be. He remembered how gentle the stranger was when he held Kyungsoo's waist, the two of them twirling in sync as though they were made to dance together. He remembered how soft and friendly Jongin's gaze had been, even under the guise of his mask. But most importantly, he wondered if he would ever see the boy again. 

It was strange, really. This was all Kyungsoo knew of Jongin - after all, he couldn't even put a proper face to the name without the presence of his mask to hide his features - yet the man seemed to be at the forefront of his mind almost every second of every day. What did he really look like? Where did he live? What if he had been a companion back in Kyungsoo's school days and he didn't even realise? Were they even the same age?

With all of these thoughts whirring round in his mind, he almost missed the split second flash of green passing before him, but just at the last second his gaze caught on to a figure stumbling and falling into the alleyway just to his right. And there, right before his eyes was undoubtedly the boy who had been haunting his thoughts ever since that night several weeks ago. Except he appeared to be covered in a mixture of leaves and twigs, perfectly arranged to look like a pair of trousers, and Kyungsoo could have sworn there was a tiny, tiny golden figure moving by his shoulder.

"Jongin?" he breathed, his heart jumping at the very possibility of it being him, and he noticed said boy's head snapping up in fright just before Kyungsoo rubbed his eyes. Sure enough, when his hands fell away from his face again, Jongin was right there jogging up to him, clad in a tan coloured trench coat and an enormous grey scarf, perfect for the bitter winter weather. Of course, he must have imagined the leaves and things. 

He had completely underestimated how impossibly gorgeous the boy before him was, and he couldn't help cursing the ridiculous masquerade mask for unlawfully concealing such beauty from him. Without such a thing to obstruct his view, he was free to see how truly unique Jongin's features were. His nose, previously hidden by the mask, formed a gentle slope down to his lips, which were as full and pink as Kyungsoo remembered. His eyes, however, were nothing compared to those Kyungsoo had been seeing in his imagination for so long, his double lids giving him a more western appearance but with just enough fat beneath to make him look almost sleepy. "What on earth are you doing in an alleyway?" the stunned boy asked once he finally regained his senses.

With a bright smile that almost had Kyungsoo's legs crippling beneath him, Jongin stopped in front of the shorter boy and held up a greyish brown flat cap in his hand. "My cap flew off in the wind," he explained simply, his eyes greedily taking in every inch of Kyungsoo's face. "It's you, from the dance! Right?"

"You remember me?" Kyungsoo replied, unable to keep the shock from his voice.

Again, Jongin's lips stretched into another wide smile, except this time his brows furrowed as though the answer was obvious. "Me, forget a face like yours? Never," he snorted, and Kyungsoo found himself unable to decide whether it was an insult or a compliment. Based on past experiences, instinct told him to go for the former.

"And what is that supposed to mean, sir?" Squaring his shoulders, he straightened his back in an attempt to look a little taller and schooled his features into a pompous expression.

"'Sir', come on," Jongin chuckled, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and cocking his hip out in a way Kyungsoo had never seen any man do before. "Are you really going to pretend you don't remember my name?"

"I don't," Kyungsoo responded, giving the other his best expression of ignorance.

Narrowing his eyes, Jongin leaned forward a little as though he were teasing the boy. "You do. You said it earlier. Besides, I should be the one calling you sir. You never gave me your name at the dance."

"You're right, I didn't," Kyungsoo said shortly, giving Jongin one last haughty look before turning on his heel and continuing down the street, dropping his 'rich boy' act and grinning to himself as soon as his back was turned. Fully aware of the fact that Jongin had caught up and begun trotting along beside him after a moment, he continued on. "And what are you doing here in the town today, might I ask?"

"What are you doing?" came Jongin's immediate reply.

"Buying bread," Kyungsoo replied shortly.

"As am I!" Jongin cried not a second later. "What are the chances?"

"What kind of bread?"

"Sweet dough," the tanned boy answered, seemingly without a second thought.

Snorting softly, Kyungsoo spared his impromptu companion the briefest of glances. Sourdough, he mentally corrected, though he supposed Jongin was far too interested in the cake display of the patisserie window they had just passed.

Turning into his favourite bakery in the town, Kyungsoo greeted the man behind the counter with a warm smile, paying no mind to Jongin trailing in behind him. As a Korean himself, Minseok was one of the few people in the town who were truly kind to Kyungsoo, so said boy made the effort to walk the extra distance to his bakery whenever he needed anything instead of the one much closer to the house. 

"You brought a friend today, Kyungsoo?" Minseok enquired politely, offering Jongin a friendly smile.

Knowing that Jongin's face would be positively glowing with the baker spilling Kyungsoo's name, the latter resisted the urge to look over and fixed his gaze firmly on Minseok's cheery face, leaving the display he had been observing in favour of standing before the counter. "He's here for some bread. One loaf of brown for me please, Minseok."

"Of course," Minseok affirmed as he began bagging the bread, taking the money from Kyungsoo's palm in a practiced exchange before turning his attention to Jongin. "And for you, sir?"

Looking slightly perplexed, Jongin pointed haphazardly to one of the breads on display below the counter. "Um, this one please."

From where he was standing to one side, Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes in accusation, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You said you had come for sourdough," he reminded the taller boy, who made a small noise of confusion before stepping back from the counter and nodding once.

"Here you are, sir. One sourdough," Minseok informed once he had picked out the specified bread, though not without giving the unfamiliar boy a bemused look.

"Thank you, Minseok. I shall see you again soon," Kyungsoo called before he could begin to laugh, ushering Jongin out of the bakery as soon as the money was handed over. As the two began walking again, he bit down on his lower lip so as to keep the laughter at bay. Beside him, Jongin was unusually quiet as he stuffed the bread into a leather messenger bag that Kyungsoo was sure he hadn't been carrying before they entered the shop.

Keeping his eyes on the street once more, Kyungsoo spoke up. "You know, if you wanted to follow me you might have just asked."

Finally, Jongin appeared to perk up again. "Well, I had to learn your name somehow." Then, leaning in as they walked, "Kyungsoo."

Raising a brow at the taunting tone, Kyungsoo shot the other boy an incredulous look. "Once again, you might have just asked."

"And how would that make me seem gentlemanly?" Jongin retorted, his lips pulling together to form a sort of childlike pout. Given that he couldn't be more than a year Kyungsoo's senior, it certainly made him look like a petulant youth. "I gotta make a good impression if I'm to seduce you."

Now, Kyungsoo couldn't deny that he felt a jolt in his heart at those particular words, but he decided once again to turn a blind eye to Jongin's advances. After all, he had no proof that Jongin even preferred men over women, and he certainly wasn't about to ask said boy and expose himself in the process. Who knew what Jongin would do if he found out Kyungsoo's secret? Perhaps his reckless flirting was his way of mocking gay men. This particular thought began to embed itself in the deepest, darkest crevices of Kyungsoo's mind, and he felt a sense of pure dread settling within him at the thought of Jongin being yet another narrow-minded individual, unable to understand that Kyungsoo's sexual preference made him no less equal to anyone else. Then again, what else could he expect in these times? Only last week the local paper had published a story of a gay man being imprisoned.

"I must say, you do talk awfully common. Considering I also found you roaming around in an alleyway not so long ago, are you sure you're not a street urchin?" Kyungsoo accused the other after a while of silence, his eyes narrowing in mock suspicion. If it weren't for his inferior language from time to time, Jongin could easily be mistaken as a descendant of royalty, what with his astoundingly good looks and charm.

"I'm perfectly sure!" Jongin exclaimed defensively. "I'm merely a.. man desperate to woo the love of his life, whom he knows nothing about except that he was obliged to attend the masquerade ball and is therefore at least sixteen."

"How can you be so brazen?" Kyungsoo hissed amidst Jongin's lavish speech, grabbing said boy's arm as though that would silence him in some way. How did he dare to speak so openly about his supposed attraction to Kyungsoo? And in the middle of the street, no less. Was this really his idea of a joke? Or perhaps he had already guessed Kyungsoo's secret. Overcome with a sudden rush of panic and anger, Kyungsoo tugged the boy after him as he turned briskly off of the high street on to that of his home, his tone disgruntled when he spoke. "If you're that desperate to learn everything about me, you may start by joining me for dinner."

"I— what?" answered Jongin, all of his previous bravado somehow swept away immediately and his tone suddenly unusually shaky and anxious. Perhaps he was just far too excited at the prospect of spending more time with a gay man.

"Join me. For dinner," Kyungsoo repeated curtly. "My brothers would be delighted to meet you, I'm sure."

"You.. you told your brothers about me?" Then, as they turned on to the stone path leading up to Kyungsoo's front door, he began to tug on the boy's hold. Frowning, the shorter spun around to stare at him in confusion. Just moments ago, Jongin had been drawling all about how eager he was to know Kyungsoo, so why did he suddenly seem to have cold feet? "Kyungsoo, I.. I shouldn't.."

"You have somewhere to be?"

Jongin's head fell, and he was wringing his hands in front of him like a young child being scolded. "Well, no.."

"Then you can join us just for dinner," Kyungsoo found himself insisting, wondering why he was so adamant that Jongin join them when he was certain he would never hear the last of it from his brothers.

After a pause, Jongin finally answered. "Well, alright, but just this once," he murmured, eventually trailing into the house after Kyungsoo.

All through dinner, that same look of unmissable anxiety remained etched across Jongin's face, and he threw fleeting glances at the entrance to the dining hall time and time again as though he was seconds away from racing out of the house. Even so, Sehun and Zitao somehow convinced him to stay longer after they had eaten, and over the course of several drinks, Jongin finally began to visibly relax. Conservation flowed far easier from then on, with the guest of honour taking it upon himself to ask question after question after question, all of which the brothers answered with ease. It was Kyungsoo who found himself the focus of many of the enquiries, however. He told Jongin of his quiet yet respectable education up until he was twelve years old, at which time he began to work under the supervision of his uncle. He told of how their mother and father had tragically died the year previous, and how he had been left to bring up his brothers as best he could. 

And when Sehun and Zitao had retired to bed, he told Jongin of how much he had struggled to become a man so early on in his life, but how he had built his own plans for himself and couldn't wait to grow up and live them. He failed to notice how Jongin's face grew more and more contorted with pain with each word.

But it was how he told Jongin of his love for the stars that he remembered when he went to sleep that night. He shared how his father had given him the greatest gift he had ever received when he was only seven years old. It was a lamp small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, yet with millions of minuscule holes cut into the shade so that when the bulb was lit, it cast the illusion of a starry night sky across a dark room. And then, he told Jongin of his dream to one day see the stars for real.

"Haven't you ever seen the stars, hyung?" Jongin's soft voice sounded in the dark room. As the two of them lay atop Kyungsoo's bed, staring up at the glistening ceiling, a small part of the shorter's brain wondered how Jongin knew he was the older of the two.

"No, never," he whispered. "Living in the centre of London, it's impossible to see them."

"I could show you, if you like," Jongin answered after a beat. "You've seen them before, hyung, but you wouldn't remember."

"What?" Kyungsoo frowned up at the ceiling, searching his mind for any fragmented memories of seeing real stars outside. There was nothing. "Don't be ridiculous, Jongin. I told you, it's impossible."

For a long while after that, Jongin was silent. Neither of them moved nor made a single sound, except for the gentle rising and falling of their chests as they breathed softly as one. They couldn't have even guessed how long it was before one of them spoke.

"Don't ever let the bulb die, Kyungsoo," Jongin murmured, and a second later there was a soft click of the switch as the room fell black.

In that moment, Kyungsoo felt an incredible rush of affection for the boy lying beside him, with a heart so tender that he would share the smaller's worries of never being able to see the stars again. If his bulb did eventually die, he didn't know how he would survive without the comfort of the lamp's intricate design. This, Jongin clearly understood, and to Kyungsoo that meant that someone finally understood him.

Later, as Jongin rested on the edge of Kyungsoo's pillows, his fingers carding softly through the dark locks as he waited for the older boy to fall asleep, Kyungsoo's soft, sleepy voice broke the silence of the night. "I want to see you again, Jongin," he whispered despite himself, his eyes now too heavy to open more than a crack. "On solstice night.. I want to watch the sunset together. Meet me by the bakery."

Silence followed, but Kyungsoo could still feel the oh-so-gentle touch in his hair coaxing him to sleep. "Goodnight, sweetheart," came Jongin's gentle whisper after a long while. Forcing one eye open the tiniest slither, Kyungsoo saw how the other boy slowly leaned close as though to kiss his forehead, before seeming to decide against it as he began to straight up again. With that, Kyungsoo let himself succumb to the pull of his dreams.

When he awoke again in the middle of the night, Jongin was gone.

It wasn't until the following morning that he realised he hadn't learned a single thing about the tanned boy.

~

"He seems like a decent guy, hyung." Sehun wiggled his brows teasingly at his older brother, but was swiftly silenced by a dirty dish cloth to the face.

~

For all of his outward confidence in life, Kyungsoo was far more insecure than his brothers. Having been forced through so much at such an early age, his walls had automatically built up so much that some days even he didn't recognise himself. What had happened to the confident young boy who would sing and dance his heart out around the house, despite his mother's protests that it wasn't befitting of boys? Not a single song note had left his mouth in over a decade, and he wasn't so sure he'd remember how to sing even if he tried.

As a rather unfortunate consequence, anyone who took the liberty of breaking down Kyungsoo's walls found themselves facing the challenge of overcoming Pandora's box, and it took little for the box to shatter beneath such a powerful touch.

He knew he had been fortunate in that he was born into an incredibly wealthy family, his father having been a top lawyer up until the very day he died, and could therefore have been living a much more unsavoury life. Despite his age, he could have easily been a member of the workhouses on the outskirts of the town, and would have had few years left before he caught something and met a premature end, no doubt. Even so, he still found himself worrying immensely over the most trivial things as though they were the absolute end of the world.

At this point in time, the triviality in question was wherein Jongin's true feelings lay. Ever since the night that Jongin had joined him and his brothers for dinner, Kyungsoo could think about nothing except whether or not Jongin really did like him the way that he liked Jongin. It wasn't helped by the fact that, given he was almost completely asleep before the tanned boy left, he couldn't remember anything past inviting him to watch the sunset together. Thus, several days of endless worrying commenced.

Frankly, Kyungsoo had come to the rational conclusion that Jongin's outlandish flirting meant nothing, and was in fact mere carelessness. This was all just one big joke to him, to the point that he was simply playing with Kyungsoo's feelings for his own amusement.

On the other hand, a part of the wealthy boy's mind was still hanging on to a small shred of hope. Why would Jongin risk being misunderstood and jailed just to make fun of Kyungsoo's sexuality? Surely he knew the consequences lest the older get the wrong end of the stick, which led Kyungsoo to think that perhaps he did hold some genuine affection after all. He felt a far larger flutter in his stomach at this thought than he would like to admit.

However, given that the morning of the winter solstice had now come around and he was standing outside the bakery alone, his mind was currently diverting to the former conclusion: Jongin was absolutely not interested.

With a heart that was slowly growing too heavy to carry around, Kyungsoo watched as the blindingly bright morning sun peeked over the roofs of the buildings further down the street, a surefire sign that sunrise was long since over.

They could always watch the sunrise together another time, he figured in a last-ditch attempt to console himself. In the end, he decided to give it up as a bad job. His fragile heart had been left to mend itself alone, whilst Jongin's would continue to beat perfectly unharmed.

~

Not bothering to hide his frustrations, Sehun huffed audibly as he yanked on his eldest brother's arm. "Come on, hyung, you've been lying around the house for months now doing nothing at all! Let us go to the theatre, shall we?" he tried after a short pause. Kyungsoo hadn't even responded; it was as though he had become some sort of vegetable. "My tutor told me yesterday that they're showing Oscar Wilde's newest play at the one in the next town, Dorian Green or something."

"I heard from the ladies in the town that it's a wonderful play, masters," came the voice of one of the house maids, Rose, from where she was carrying a tray of tea into Kyungsoo's bedroom.

"Dorian Gray," Kyungsoo finally murmured the correction, sluggishly pushing himself up off of his bed before quietly thanking Rose. It wasn't at all proper to lounge around the way he had been doing for the last.. however many weeks, and he would undoubtedly be severely scolded were his uncle to see him. But with the way he had been feeling recently, he couldn't bring himself to care one little bit. Though, he had been wanting to see Wilde's new play for a while now. 

In the time that he had spent wallowing in his despair, the turn of a fresh new year had come and gone; it was January of 1891, his seventeenth birthday was fast approaching, and he had done nothing since solstice night. Months had passed by and every minute that he hadn't been working, Kyungsoo had used his time to invent new explanations as to why he had been left alone that night, to reflect on everything he had ever said and done and, though he hated to admit, he had cried his eyes dry of tears.

He had passed almost the entire winter with nothing but endless thoughts of a mysterious, beautiful boy whom he had met all of twice. A boy who had not returned since.

Sehun had been the first to so bravely alert him to his vegetative state, and Kyungsoo decided to use this as a resolve to forget about the boy whom he barely even knew. He had to start living again.

Even as he could feel the terrible heaviness of his unwashed hair, the dreadful bruising beneath his eyes and his atrociously unshaven face, Kyungsoo stared up at his brother with a look which assured the younger that he would get himself together. "Let us go to the theatre then, Sehuna," he croaked, throat sore and scratchy from disuse.

"Really, hyung?" the taller boy breathed, eyes widened in a mixture of excitement and disbelief. With a single nod from his older brother, Sehun was racing through the house and up the stairs to break the news to Zitao.

When the three of them were much younger, their mother and father had often taken them to the theatre to enjoy newly released plays being performed, something which had given all three a lifelong love for the pastime. From the beautifully intricate architecture to the talent that filled the venue with every performance, there wasn't a single part of the theatre that they didn't love. The experience was magical, the kind of feeling they could not describe with mere words.

Sehun had always said he wanted to become a stage performer one day when he was older, and his brothers had graciously entertained his dream. Because in reality, all three of them knew that they would end up following in their father's footsteps together.

"Look, Sehuna, the picture is actually moving!" Zitao whispered later that night as 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray" played out before their very eyes.

Tutting softly, Sehun answered the other boy under his breath, though still loud enough for Kyungsoo to catch. "Taoya, you're such a child. Can you not see that it's simply a man with his face in a frame?" he grumbled, and Kyungsoo couldn't help but snort softly. Despite being the middle brother, Zitao certainly acted like the youngest at times.

"But... how do they look exactly the same?" Zitao breathed, his tone filled with confusion. "And I told you to call me hyung! I'm eleven months older than you."

"They are obviously brothers, Taoya," the younger huffed, rolling his eyes dramatically at his brother's stupidity.

"But you and I are brothers and we look nothing alike!" Zitao insisted, his voice growing more and more frantic despite remaining nothing more than a whisper.

"And I thank the Lord every day."

From where he was sitting beside the youngest of the three siblings, Kyungsoo found himself unable to keep from giggling at their ridiculous antics, earning them all a rather aggressive "shh!" from someone in the row behind. This only served to bring more giggles to the surface, forcing Kyungsoo to stifle his laughter as much as possible, his brothers grumbling and chuntering all the while at the prospect of being hushed. And for a long time, even if he didn't notice, not a single thought of Jongin entered his mind.

~

Eventually, Jongin returned, though it wasn't in a way that was expected.

The first dream was the strangest, featuring a young Kyungsoo on the swings at his boarding school. Rocking gently on the seat, he watched on as the other children in his class played with a box of toys the school had just received. They were from a gracious wealthy family whose children had grown out of toys and games now, so they had given them away to the same school that the children had once attended themselves. 

At the tender age of seven, it was Kyungsoo's first year of education, and the simple addition of a boarding school didn't make it any easier. He had always clung to his mother's frame as a child, bursting into an extraordinary flood of tears whenever he was forced to leave her side, so being educated away from home was an extremely difficult experience for him. 

However, the swings were a simple touch that reminded him so dearly of home, being almost exactly the same as the set he had out in the garden, thus he often chose to play alone on the swings instead of with any of the other toys. Besides, since a wealthy Korean-born child was a considerable rarity in 1880s London, playing with the other children was a challenge in itself.

Though he had to admit, that brand new skipping rope someone had just plucked from the box did look rather interesting, even as it turned into a gigantic worm before his very eyes.

Paying it no mind, Kyungsoo kicked his feet against the ground to swing himself higher, feeling himself fly impossibly high above the swing set in an instant, before coming back down again immediately. He settled his feet on the ground again - which, curiously, had now become a theatre stage - at which point he noticed someone on the seat beside him. It was a boy, a child whose face had not entirely materialised yet, dressed in an unusual outfit made of bright green leaves and twigs.

"Who are you?" he asked in his native language, barely noticing that he was now sitting on an enormous wooden stage with no sign of the swing set.

"It's me, Jongin," the boy replied, and the blurred face suddenly cleared to show a fully grown Jongin, chiselled jawline and all. Fleetingly, he noted that the leafy green outfit had now transformed into a perfectly pressed black suit. "Don't you remember me?"

Seven year old Kyungsoo shook his head, even though he knew exactly who this boy was.

"Ah, I guess it's been a while," Jongin shrugged, a rare grin appearing on his face as he turned to look out across the rows of seats. "I would've thought you'd remember me though, hyung. We had such fun together back then."

Kyungsoo hadn't a clue what the tanned boy was talking about, but somehow it didn't matter. He simply continued staring at Jongin beside him, his eyes trailing over the very same piercing gaze he had first encountered only a few months ago.

"Hyung, why aren't you playing with the other kids?" Jongin asked, pointing straight in front of him. Kyungsoo followed his finger to see Zitao and Sehun playing together in the back gardens of their home, both of them around ten years of age. At this point, a tiny voice in the back of his mind informed him that he was now around twelve.

Turning back around to answer, Kyungsoo was surprised to find that there was no longer anybody there on the stage. There was only him and the faintest feeling that something soft had touched his lips.

~

The second dream was much shorter, seeming as though it only lasted several seconds despite Kyungsoo having slept for hours.

This time he was in the drawing room with his tutor, going over tedious arithmetics. But then, just for the briefest of seconds, Kyungsoo looked over at the wall to ceiling windows where sunlight was spilling into the room. 

He would have sworn he had seen a small boy staring back at him through the window if it were not for the fact that the sun was almost blindingly bright, and so he decided that he had most likely just seen a silhouette of the gardener crouching down.

~

The dreams of Jongin had been growing more and more frequent over the past few days, regardless of the fact that it had been months since Kyungsoo had seen said boy. His seventeenth birthday came and went, the celebrations having been held in true style. With the help of the gardener, Heechul, the grounds were decked out with enormous canopies and round tables decorated with lace table cloths, each one topped with a vase full of roses. On display were towers of muffins, cupcakes and scones, with the housemaids serving tea to their guests before heading off to prepare more desserts. As expected, the girls and women were all clad in beautiful dresses and corsets, their hair styled in pretty little ringlets that bobbed on their shoulders as they walked. Similarly, the boys and men all wore their best tuxedos and suits, with bow ties and top hats galore.

"Kyungsoo, boy!" the birthday boy's uncle cried, slapping him on the shoulder when he finally caught up with the smaller male. "I was just chatting to Mister Williams here, and he says he has a beautiful daughter who has been looking for a husband recently. How about it?"

Kyungsoo's stomach instantly dropped as the dreaded question finally came around, though he tried his best to plaster a polite smile on his face as he shook Mister Williams' hand. "I'd be delighted to meet her, sir," he answered in a formal manner, although the excuses were already materialising in the back of his mind. 

"It is high time she found a husband and married, I must say," the unfamiliar man declared before his boisterous laughter boomed out across the garden, and Kyungsoo fought the urge to clap a hand over his ear.

"Please do excuse me, sir. I am terribly eager to meet your daughter— she sounds wonderful, I do have to say — but I'm afraid I must dash. I believe my brother was looking for me earlier and it was something rather important." Without thinking, Kyungsoo found himself giving the formal Korean farewell of a bow, before hastily straightening up and tipping his hat instead. After all, it wasn't correct of him to use his native greeting here in England. "Until next time, sir," he added politely before breaking away from the two older men again, releasing a hushed breath of relief as he did so. The absolute last thing he wanted to be doing on his birthday was discussing potential wives.

For a short moment, an image of Jongin smiling fondly down at him floated to the forefront of his mind, but Kyungsoo swiftly pushed the thought aside as he headed off to find his brothers.

All in all, the party was a monumental success despite the attempted discussion about marriage. In fact, Kyungsoo did actually speak to several girls from the town, except they were all merely platonic exchanges and left him feeling as though he had actually made some friends. He particularly enjoyed speaking with two sisters named Jessica and Krystal, both of whom had attended the same church as him when they were younger, much to his surprise. 

Wendy was always a joy to speak to, also, and Kyungsoo often ran into her down at the bakery. She lived in a beautiful house much like his own on the next street along, and the two of them would frequently see each other climbing into their cars whenever they were going out. By the looks of things at his party, Kyungsoo was fairly sure there was a little flirtation going on between her and Sehun, but he would never dare to mention it to the younger. Zitao, on the other hand, seemed to have spent the entire day sneaking sweets from the dessert table, hence he remained sprawled out on the floor of the drawing room for the rest of the evening complaining of a stomach ache.

However, once again Kyungsoo found himself lying alone in his bed that night, wondering what it would have been like if Jongin had been at his party. Subsequently, he also wondered how on earth said boy had managed to infiltrate every aspect of his life so easily.

~

That night Kyungsoo dreamt twice, the first one being the most vivid dream yet despite it not being much longer than the last.

For a minute, he almost thought he was still awake, for the dream was so terribly clear and lifelike. He was propped up against the pillows in his bed, the room completely dark except for the strong glow of his star lamp at the end of the bed. As usual, the tiny dots were speckled all across the ceiling and spilled out onto the balcony since the doors were open, but they merely provided a comforting atmosphere as an eight year old Kyungsoo played with his wooden cars. He should have been sleeping already, but he just wasn't at all tired.

All of a sudden, there came a faint breeze from the open doors and then there was a figure standing on the balcony, one that seemed awfully familiar yet foreign at the same time. As the figure stepped into the bedroom and closer to the hue of the lamp, Kyungsoo saw that it was a boy no older than him, dressed in a peculiar green one piece.

"Hello, Kyungsoo," the boy greeted him as he perched himself at the end of Kyungsoo's bed, one leg folded beneath him.

"How do you know my name?" Kyungsoo asked as he shot the other a puzzled look, though he hadn't stopped playing with his cars.

The boy simply offered him a small smile, before speaking again. "My name is Jongin. We can be friends if you like."

"Okay," the shorter shrugged, and he passed one of his favourite cars over to the other boy as an acceptance gift. 

They played together in silence for a long time, time which passed slowly even in Kyungsoo's dream. As he focused on the toys in his hands, the room seemed to drop away just slightly and took the strange boy with it, though he soon came back into view whenever he made the slightest noise. He didn't speak for the longest while, but Kyungsoo could still somehow tell that this boy was so incredibly, unbelievably sad, and he had no idea why.

Eventually, Jongin spoke again after having carefully passed the car back across the bed to Kyungsoo, his gaze now fixed on the makeshift stars decorating the room. "You have your light on again, hyung."

The sentence didn't entirely register in dream Kyungsoo's mind, nor did real Kyungsoo recall it when he woke the next morning, but dream Kyungsoo decided to answer with nothing more than a simple, "yes."

"Haven't you ever seen the stars, hyung?" Jongin asked quietly, his voice sounding far, far to sad for an eight year old boy.

"No," Kyungsoo shrugged, his eyes still fixed on the toys atop his bed covers. "Living in the centre of London, it's almost impossible to see them."

This seemed to silence Jongin for a while and he continued to gaze around the room at the little speckles of light, though his expression was not one of awe or wonder. Just.. sadness. "I could show you," he said finally, lowering his gaze back to a youthful Kyungsoo. The latter had lifted his head in interest, and the two were now gazing over at each other as though waiting for something to happen.

Slowly, slowly, Jongin began to shift up the bed to where Kyungsoo was sitting, his arms carefully lifting until his fingers were resting ever so gently atop the latter's temples. Watching on curiously, Kyungsoo wondered what he was doing, though he stayed quiet and held Jongin's gaze in anticipation.

Then, Jongin slowly closed his eyes, and Kyungsoo's vision went black. He awoke with a start.

~

It was only a few hours later that he slipped into the second dream of the night, which was also startlingly authentic. He was back in the garden for his birthday party, chatting with his uncle and the man's friend exactly as he had been earlier in the day. 

"I was just chatting to Mister Williams here, and he says he has a beautiful daughter who has been looking for a husband recently," his uncle informed him, giving Kyungsoo an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. "How about it?"

Feeling rather awkward all of a sudden, Kyungsoo cleared his throat quietly as he lowered his head, his hands nervously straightening his suit jacket. "Actually, uncle.. there is someone I would like you to meet." Turning just slightly over his shoulder, he held out one hand and a slightly larger, calloused one slipped into it. Suddenly, Jongin was right there beside him in the same black suit he had worn to the dance, his lips spread in a modest smile. "This is Jongin, my.. partner."

"Partner?" Kyungsoo's uncle echoed before releasing a jolly laugh, sharing an amicable look with the other man. "Have you boys been working together at the firm recently? I cannot say I recognise your face, dear boy—"

"No, uncle," Kyungsoo cut in, his brows furrowing with worry over what he was about to say. "Jongin is my.. my lover." To his dread, an excruciating, stony silence followed. Every cell in Kyungsoo's body was screaming at him in protest, cursing him endlessly for having revealed such a damaging secret. How could he have been so stupid? This wasn't a simple issue of blessing; he would be imprisoned for goodness knows how long.

"Say that again, boy," his uncle said after a long time, his eyes having darkened and his voice dangerously low.

Taking a deep breath, Kyungsoo gathered up every bit of courage he had. "Jongin is my lover," he repeated with a tone of confidence, his gaze strong and unyielding as he stared back at his uncle.

"Get out of my sight and don't ever come back. I do not ever want to see your face again." The words pierced Kyungsoo like great shards of ice.

"I-I beg your pardon? Uncle—"

The last thing Kyungsoo saw was his uncle swiftly raising a hand behind him before swinging it straight towards his nephew's face. Then suddenly he was back in his bedroom, sitting bolt upright, panting hard and covered in a thick sheen of sweat.

~

The next evening, Kyungsoo arrived home from work wanting nothing more than to collapse into his bed and sleep for the rest of his life. Heavy bags rested beneath his eyes and it was a far cry from the polished look that was expected of him from day to day, but he just hadn't a clue what to do about it.

For a good number of weeks now he had been feeling wonderful again, having recovered completely from the sorrow of realising Jongin had no feelings for him. It had been a whole two months since the masquerade dance where he had first met the strange boy, and not a single thought of Jongin had entered his mind in the weeks running up to his birthday. 

Then, all of a sudden, last night's dreams had brought the endless musings rushing back and he was back to square one again. How could he have possibly imagined introducing Jongin as his lover to his family? How dare he imagine Jongin being his in the first place? If he were so rash as to tell someone of his feelings in real life, the consequences would be far worse than in his dream.

After a little while of wandering around the house, Kyungsoo eventually found both of his brothers in the upstairs sitting room. "Welcome home, hyung!" Sehun chirped from his spot on the couch, where he was helping the youngest maid of the house clear up the teapots in preparation for dinner. Even with a body of staff to look after them since birth, the brothers had always helped out and never liked to leave the maids to work alone.

"Good day, master Kyungsoo," Rose greeted him. She glanced over her shoulder and shot him a warm smile, only for it to slip instantly from her face as the cup in her hands fell back on to its saucer with a loud clatter. "Oh, my."

At the commotion, Zitao lifted his head from where he had been working on his writing at the wooden desk by the wall. A sharp gasp escaped his lips at the sight of his older brother, one which was echoed by Sehun less than a second later. Heat flooded Kyungsoo's cheeks; he must look far worse than he had realised.

"H-Hyung, what's the matter with you?" Sehun breathed, his eyes widened in shock. "You look.. terrible."

His heart sinking, Kyungsoo shifted his gaze between his brothers and the maid, and in that moment he wondered just how he had gotten into this state. Why did Jongin's mere existence affect him so much, and to such a visible degree? As these worries swirled around in his mind, Zitao pushed himself up from the seat and carefully stepped towards Kyungsoo as though approaching a scared little animal, and he gently clutched his brother's shoulders to coax him down on to the couch.

"Hyung, come. You need to sit down and eat, then go straight to bed," Zitao instructed, his tone unusually soft and full of concern as he took a seat beside the elder.

Giving Rose's shoulder a gentle squeeze as though to reassure her, Sehun placed the cups in his hands down and joined his brothers on the furniture. "Kyungsoo hyung," he started warily, exchanging a silent look with Zitao before returning his gaze to the other brother. "Is it Jongin— ouch!" Cutting himself off with a hiss, Sehun shot Zitao a deathly glare, and with a look over to see Zitao nodding sharply in Rose's direction, it didn't take a genius to know that the latter had just kicked him down the side of the couch.

Sighing softly, Kyungsoo wondered what exactly he was gaining from not confiding in his brothers, so he kept his voice low so as not to let Rose hear when he finally replied. "Yes, I.. I've been dreaming of him," he murmured, head lowered in self pity. He felt absolutely exhausted and, as much as it hurt to even think of the tanned boy, it felt equally as good to reveal this to his brothers.

"This is why you've been having troublesome sleeps?" Zitao asked, his own voice lowered with caution, and he earned a nod from Kyungsoo in response.

"I suppose he really has struck something inside of you," Sehun mused, his lips pressed into a thin line as he stared down at his clasped hands atop his lap. "And what was the contents of your dreams?"

"I cannot remember them all in great detail," said Kyungsoo, trying to recall what he could with a frown. "But it's strange. It always feels so real and I get an unusual sense that I've seen them before, like in a play or something."

Sehun gasped. "You don't think he is an actor in disguise, do you?" he whispered, and Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. He could practically see the love forming in the younger's orbs even as he watched.

"Even though I know nothing about this man, I.. I feel so deeply for him," Kyungsoo sighed, his face contorted with pain and his gaze distant. "But I fear he does not feel the same way for me. I'm fairly certain he has a preference for women, after all."

"How do you know that?" Zitao cocked a brow. "You aren't the only homosexual man in the world, Kyungsoo hyung, that is certain."

"Yes!" chimed Sehun, eyes blown wide with excitement. "There have been rumours in the papers recently that even Oscar Wilde has been seen with men. Of course, there's a possibility it is all just hearsay, but no matter." At this, Kyungsoo gave a disdainful sniff. The idea that someone as distinguished as Oscar Wilde may be homosexual was ludicrous.

"But how am I supposed to clarify something as sensitive as that? I can hardly just shout from the rooftops about my own preferences and hope that he shouts back, can I? I haven't the first clue who this boy is. If I give him even the slightest hint about myself, I could end up in prison." Defeated, Kyungsoo crossed his arms firmly over his chest and slumped back against the cushions, feeling well and truly as though he had hit a brick wall. The dreams had kickstarted his brain into overthinking all over again, and he hadn't seen any sign of Jongin in months.

From the corner of his eye, he caught his brothers sharing a worried look, before Zitao spoke again. "I think you need to talk to him, Kyungsoo hyung.." he tried, and said boy huffed in despair.

"But how? I have no way of contacting him."

Again, Sehun and Zitao locked gazes, but this time there was no comforting answer. In fact, there was no answer at all. Not one of the brothers had a single solution, and they had officially reached a stalemate.

~

Another whole two months passed by without any sign of Jongin, and Kyungsoo had all but forgotten about him. Given that he had made such a big impact in such a short time, it was impossible to forget him completely; from time to time, Kyungsoo still dreamt of the other boy or tricked himself into thinking that that was Jongin who just passed him in the street, and on occasion his brothers tentatively asked how he was feeling about the whole ordeal. Slowly but surely, his responses evolved from a terribly unconvincing "alright, I suppose" to a less stale "better, yes", and eventually he reached a promising "I feel wonderful, thank you." Because, after all, four months of having not seen someone meant that the features began to fade, the voice was difficult to hear and the attachment began to slowly ebb away.

Life seemed to have gotten back on track, and Kyungsoo could confidently say that his eye bags had fully disappeared. Now that he had turned seventeen, he had been given a gracious promotion at the law firm and was swiftly working his way up to a senior position, which earned him more than enough to look after himself and his brothers comfortably whilst also treating them to lavish outings and purchases. 

Even, he daresay, his love life had evolved. After crossing paths with Wendy once again outside the house and conversing for a while, she had introduced him to a close friend of hers named Irene, a beautiful girl of Kyungsoo's age whose mother and father had also been encouraging her to settle down soon. However, she was a strong-willed girl who had not let herself be forced into anything, and perhaps it was this that instantly drew Kyungsoo to her.

The two had hit it off immediately, arranging time after time to take walks together and attend social events as one. For a while it had confused Kyungsoo, for he was certain that he was beginning to feel for Irene what he had once felt for a certain tanned boy. It was less pronounced so soon after meeting, of course, but he found that he greatly enjoyed the lovely girl's company. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also extremely intelligent and often engaged Kyungsoo in intellectual conversations, who admired her boldness and her confidence immensely, and he left every meeting with a wonderful feeling of contentment in his body. He felt full and satisfied after a conversation with her, as though she had given him enough complex things to think about that he would not get bored at all before they would meet again.

On one particular day, they took a stroll together around the gardens of Irene's home, where there were huge flower bushes and arches all around, stone paths and perfectly cut hedges lining the way, eventually leading to a large round fountain in the middle. A little way on, there was a cluster of low trees and bushes separating the latter part of the garden, with a small wooden gate leading through to a much smaller yet open area. Here, the two lay down with their heads together on the freshly cut grass, staring up at the clouds above.

Twisting his head slightly to glance over at Irene, Kyungsoo smiled fondly as he watched her gaze up at the sky, her eyelashes curving up in the most beautiful way and a lazy smile resting on her lips. Today, she was wearing the most gorgeous powder blue corset dress Kyungsoo had ever seen, and when he first encountered her in the foyer he had had a strangely overwhelming urge to run his hands over it. When they began walking, he noticed how wonderfully it hugged her upper body, her hair cascading down her back in lovely dark ringlets and accentuating the pale dress.

"Do you gaze at the clouds often?" she asked suddenly, her head turning enough so that her eyes could lock with his. With a faint smile, Kyungsoo pulled his gaze back to the sky above them, watching as the white clusters floated by at a steady pace. It was the height of spring now and the flowers were in full bloom. In the very heart of London, it often still looked rather murky if one were to look up, but here the sky was a perfect shade of turquoise.

Nevertheless, all Kyungsoo could see before him was a vast expanse of black, with tiny sparkles dusting the surface. "I prefer the night sky," he answered eventually, grinning to himself as he tried his best to hold on to the image his star lamp would cast in his bedroom. "Even though I have never seen them, I believe that the stars hold great power."

"Is that so?"

With a soft hum in the affirmative, Kyungsoo closed his eyes and immersed himself in the image overflowing his mind. He could see the twinkling lights, could feel their power emanating even from the lamp. "I believe that if you are lost, you must only follow the stars and they will show you the path you must take." As he spoke, Kyungsoo felt as though if he were to open his eyes, he would truly be able to look upon the stars for the first time in his life. In that moment, he felt a sudden longing for his father and his endless stories about the stars, and a part of him wished more than anything that they could have one day explored the night sky together. "But falling stars.. falling stars are the most special ones there are. If you are so lucky as to see a falling star, you must make a wish immediately. They are the souls of those who have been released from purgatory, and are so full of joy and power that they can make any wish come true."

Of course, Kyungsoo had never had the pleasure of seeing anything of the sort, but he so vividly remembered how his father would tell him of the times when he was back in Korea, and he would use a wonderful piece of technology called a telescope to study the skies above at night. He had often told an awestruck Kyungsoo that he had seen countless falling stars in his time, and every one of his wishes had come true in some way.

"That sounds like nonsense to me." All of a sudden, the sound of Irene's laughter ripped Kyungsoo from his imagination, and he felt an awfully heavy sinking feeling in his stomach at her words. "My father always told me never to believe in such silly superstitions, for they were simply a way of building false hope and deflecting responsibility."

With that, the conversation ended, and the day continued on with Irene and Kyungsoo strolling the rest of the grounds together as they continued to chat comfortably with one another.

That night when Kyungsoo returned home, he headed straight upstairs to his bedroom and turned on his lamp before lying back on his bed. Staring up at the glittery ceiling above, he thought about what Irene had said. Ever since that conversation earlier in the day, her ruthless words had echoed over and over in his mind, leaving him feeling far more dreadful than ever before.

Never in his life had Kyungsoo had the confidence to tell anyone besides family about his love for astronomy, and to have that first person ridicule his entire beliefs in two simple sentences was almost too much to comprehend.

Placing the lamp down carefully on the floor at the foot of his bed, Kyungsoo climbed under the sheets and tucked them beneath his arms, a perpetual frown etched onto his face. After a long, long time of trying to sort through the jumbled mess in his mind, he eventually fell asleep.

~

Hours later, he awoke to an unbelievably soft caress against his cheek. Confused, and assuming it was perhaps just one of his brothers trying to wake him, Kyungsoo willed his body to move so that he could shift around onto his back. However, he found that he couldn't move a single limb, for his entire body had frozen at the sound of a voice directly above him.

The one voice he had been longing to hear.

"Kyungsoo hyung... I miss you so much."

Unable to move regardless, Kyungsoo kept his eyes as still as possible. Jongin didn't appear to have noticed he had woken, and his fingers were now trailing so, so gently over the side of Kyungsoo's face that he could barely breathe. His heart was racing faster than ever before, and he prayed with all of his might that Jongin wouldn't notice.

"Such a beautiful sleeper."

Not a single question entered Kyungsoo's mind as to how Jongin was here, why he was here, where he had been for the last five months. None of that mattered in that moment, because he was just there.

"Look at you... A whole birthday has passed and you still look as young as ever." Until this very moment, Kyungsoo had not realised just how much he had missed that gorgeous, velvety warm voice, how calm and relaxed it made him feel. 

"You've even got a girl," Jongin continued on, his voice still even quieter than a whisper despite the sheer tone of surprise in the last word. 

There was a short spell of silence, in which his fingertips continued to ever-so-gently map out Kyungsoo's features, barely even touching the long dark lashes resting on his cheeks for the pressure was so light, before they moved on and tenderly brushed over the sleeping boy's plump, heart shaped lips. There, Jongin's fingers rested for a little moment before Kyungsoo heard him breathe out sharply, as though he was laughing humourlessly.

"God, I'm so pathetic. I can't even bear to approach you during the day, yet here I am stroking your face while you sleep. If only you knew..." Again, Jongin released a slow, melancholy sigh and his fingers trailed back up to Kyungsoo's cheeks. "I wish I could tell you everything, darling. One day.. one day I will have the courage. I'll give back every single memory I took from you. My dear hyung... my beautiful, beautiful hyung."

And then, even as Kyungsoo's mind was already reeling with every single thing that Jongin had just said, he felt the younger boy lean over him, their faces so, so close that he could feel the warmth of Jongin's breath on his ear, and the tanned boy uttered those three words that Kyungsoo never, ever thought he'd hear.

"I love you."

His heart beating impossibly hard against his ribcage, Kyungsoo willed every fibre of his body to get it together and he began to turn over onto his back, only to find that the weight all around him on the bed had gone within an instant. When his eyes flew open, he was staring into the pitch black darkness of his room, and Jongin was nowhere to be seen.

~

After that night, Kyungsoo was left feeling more emotions than he had ever felt before. The one that stood out the most, however, was his absolute, sheer bewilderment over everything. Eventually, the most important questions caught up to him, and he found himself wondering at least ten times a day what on earth Jongin had been talking about. Kyungsoo hadn't the first clue what Jongin could need the courage to tell him, let alone how he could possibly have stolen Kyungsoo's memories. 

Yet he had had enough bravery to say the most frightening three words in the world. It was this admission and this admission alone that led a part of Kyungsoo to wonder if he had simply dreamt the entire thing, but this time he could not deny that it all felt far, far too real to be a dream.

Aside from all of those questions, Kyungsoo had been left feeling a plethora of emotions that he couldn't even begin to describe. For one, every second he spent with Irene from that night onwards felt intrinsically wrong. Whenever they walked together, he couldn't help but compare the contented feeling he had once felt in his stomach to the unbelievable racing of his heart that night. No words could describe how intensely his body had reacted to Jongin, yet all that Kyungsoo felt in Irene's presence was nothing more than a flutter.

Upon this realisation, he found he could no longer look at her in the same way again. She was the most intelligent and beautiful girl he had ever met, that he could not deny, but there was absolutely no doubt that she was nothing more than a friend. It was almost saddening to realise that he had mistaken the joy and thrill of truly connecting with someone for something as complex as love, but it was an overwhelming relief for him when Irene amicably agreed to stay friends.

Nonetheless, with this development he had regressed back to his position a month ago, in a way that may have seemed ironic if it were not for how terribly pitiful it all was.

~

Fortunately for him, Sehun's fifteenth birthday came around a few short weeks later, therefore making it a wonderful distraction from the cacophony of thoughts swimming around in Kyungsoo's head. The tea party was much the same as his own birthday celebrations, except that the brothers and their guests soon retired to the drawing room when the all too familiar London rain began to pour. There, highly competitive tournaments such as Chess and Ludo commenced until late into the evening, punctuated with sporadic piano shows from Zitao which gained a modest round of applause from all of the guests.

Listening in awe to his brother's gentle rendition of Chopin's Nocturne, Kyungsoo failed to notice the dark haired girl floating over to stand beside him. "He's wonderful, isn't he?" Irene whispered, smiling fondly when Kyungsoo startled slightly at the sound of her voice. "Can you play?"

Relaxing again, Kyungsoo gave a small shrug of one shoulder and smiled sheepishly. "Only a little. I'm not half as gifted as Zitao." For a short while, he continued to watch his brother play with Irene still by his side, a comfortable silence resting over them both. Eventually, Zitao's piece came to a close and the room exploded in applause, Irene and Kyungsoo included. With a modest bow of his head, Zitao immediately launched into a waltz with a cheeky grin on his face, and the guests began to form pairs in the middle of the room as the dancing commenced.

"May I have this dance?" Kyungsoo grinned and offered Irene a hand, the other tucked politely behind his back.

Beaming from ear to ear, Irene took the offered hand and slid the other up on to his shoulder, her hold gentle yet firm. "I would be delighted," she replied softly, as Kyungsoo's free hand came to rest gently on her waist. As one, they twirled in time with the music in a practiced manner, their eyes locked on each other all the while. 

Fleetingly, Kyungsoo was cast back to the time five months ago when he suddenly found himself in the arms of a mysterious, charming boy. It was all so terribly reminiscent of his dance with Jongin that, for a brief moment, Kyungsoo felt as though he really was gazing into the deep, swirling eyes of the other boy.

I was expecting to twirl into a lady, I must admit, but you're probably a lot more beautiful than any of them.

With every step he took around the drawing room, the furniture seemed to melt away and the walls expanded out further until he was dancing around an enormous hall, the sound of the piano evolving until Kyungsoo was hearing an entire orchestra playing the piece together.

My name is Jongin. Now may I continue flirting?

Kyungsoo breathed a soft laugh as he saw Jongin's beautifully plump lips form the words before his very eyes. For some reason, a lump was beginning to build in his throat and he tried his best to swallow it down, the stinging feeling in the back of his eyes yet another tell tale sign of his overwhelming emotions.

What is the use of a surname if you don't belong anywhere?

All of a sudden, Kyungsoo was back in the drawing room with Irene in his hold, Zitao's expert fingers releasing the melody of the waltz from where he sat at the piano.

"Are you okay?" Irene asked quietly, her tone full of concern as he gazed up at the sudden distress in Kyungsoo's features.

"I'm fine, I—" Kyungsoo tried in a shaky voice before releasing a stuttered breath, glancing quickly around the room to see if anyone else had noticed. Nobody's eyes appeared to be on him, and for that he was eternally grateful. "I was just thinking about the past," he added hastily, hoping Irene wouldn't ask any questions.

Of course, he was naive to hope for this much, though her question wasn't at all what he expected. "Kyungsoo.. what happened between us?" she sighed, not in despair of any kind, but in a way that suggested she was simply exhausted by having thought so much about Kyungsoo's intentions. The past.. their past. That was what she assumed he meant. "I do not resent you for it, whatever it is, but please tell me why you called things off."

As Kyungsoo gazed back at the sweet, caring girl in his hold, he figured that she deserved nothing less than the truth, so that was what he would give her. "Irene, I.. please forgive me, for I never wanted to hurt you. I would not even dream of it, but the truth is.. I love someone else." Even as he said the words, they sounded absolutely ridiculous to his own ears. How could he possibly love someone he didn't even know? But somehow, in some way, it was true.

To give her her dues, Irene did nothing more than nod once in reply, a courteous albeit sad smile pulling at the corner of her lips, not quite able to reach her eyes. "I understand. One cannot help one's feelings," she replied in an unmistakably solemn tone. "I hope all goes well for you, Kyungsoo. Whoever she is, she is one very lucky lady." 

As the waltz came to a close, the two of them came to a stop in the centre of the floor and she stepped away from Kyungsoo just slightly, their hands falling to their sides respectably. As was tradition, Irene lowered herself in a polite curtsy and Kyungsoo gently inclined his head in return, though he couldn't help but feel something twinge in his heart at her words. Irene was the most wonderful, well-rounded girl he had ever met, and he could only wish that he was able to tell her the full truth.

"Well, I must leave you," she said after a deep inhale and her lips stretched into a wide smile, though Kyungsoo could tell that she had not picked up her spirits completely just yet. "I'm rather afraid my dear friend Wendy has disappeared with your brother, which I'm sure we could agree would not bode well for either of their reputations," she added, raising a single brow in mock disapproval. Sure enough, when Kyungsoo quickly swept the room with his gaze, there was no sign of either of the aforementioned. 

Tutting softly, he shared a grin with Irene before he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Until next time, Irene. And thank you so much, for everything." The girl nodded once in acknowledgement before she turned and headed off in the opposite direction, leaving Kyungsoo to wonder just what he had done to deserve such a gracious person in his life.

~

It wasn't long after this that the celebrations began to come to a close, and slowly but surely the number of guests started to diminish.

Spotting his youngest brother by the entrance to their foyer, Kyungsoo made his way over quietly just as Sehun bent to kiss Wendy's hand. The two shared a blatantly flirtatious look before breaking away, and when Wendy joined Irene on the front porch of the mansion the two of them headed off down the steps and to their carriage.

"Be cautious, brother," Kyungsoo murmured lowly by Sehun's ear, though there was an obvious tone of amusement in his voice. "The two of you will be the talk of the town if you aren't careful."

"She's so pretty," Sehun sighed as he headed back into the house, Kyungsoo by his side. "I think I'm falling for her."

"Oh, Lord," Kyungsoo groaned. The last thing he wanted to see was his baby brother smooching one of his oldest friends.

"Hey, hyung," Zitao called from where he was leaning against the parlour entrance, his two brothers joining him before they all made their way inside together. "I saw you talking to Irene during the waltz. Are you considering.. trying again?"

"No, we're not," Kyungsoo smiled softly, shaking his head. The two other boys nodded slowly in understanding. "She asked me why we didn't work out, so I told her that I— I love someone else."

As expected, both Sehun and Zitao released simultaneous gasps, seemingly not quite able to believe what they had heard.

"You really do love him then, don't you?" Sehun asked with an air of tenderness, and it was clear to Kyungsoo that both of his siblings wanted nothing more than for him to find his happiness with Jongin.

At this, Kyungsoo hummed quietly with a smile. "Yes," he responded, and he suddenly felt as though everything would work out for the better. After all, he couldn't help that he loved Jongin, just like Irene had said. And until they were able to speak about their feelings, there was nothing he could do but accept it. "Yes, I do."

~

A few hours later saw Kyungsoo leaning against the edge of the mansion's rounded balcony, his elbows resting against the cool stone as he gazed up at the endless sheet of black blanketed over London. Not a single star was visible amongst the darkness, but Kyungsoo never minded. Even though it was impossible, he enjoyed coming out here from time to time and squinting as hard as he could, almost willing the little twinkles of light to appear.

Just as he had almost convinced himself that he could see the faintest dot of light, he heard a strange, quiet sound as though the air had been disturbed, and he glanced over his shoulder to see a figure rising just a little above the balcony, a minuscule glow of gold right by its shoulder. It was impossible - the figure appeared to be floating mid way through the air, flying even, but despite only being able to see the back of the figure, Kyungsoo knew without a doubt who it was.

Instantly, he raced to the other side of the balcony, calling out as he reached the stone edge. "J-Jongin! Jongin!"

At the sound of his voice, the figure turned slowly in the air to face him, and Kyungsoo's stomach exploded with butterflies at the sight of Jongin's flawless face. It was almost impossible to make sense of the mess of emotions he was feeling in that moment; the confusion, hurt, relief, amazement and fondness all blurred into one huge collection of fluttering everywhere in his body, but the only thing he could truly focus on was the look of absolute heartache on Jongin's face.

"Kyungsoo," he whispered into the night, and all of a sudden everything came crashing back down on the smaller, bewildered boy. Five months since he had spoken to Jongin, five months since he had heard those lips speak his name. So much had happened since then - Kyungsoo didn't even know if the other night he had been dreaming once again - and he didn't even know where to start. Finally, he decided to start with how on earth Jongin could be flying right now!

"Jongin, we- we need to talk," he managed eventually, eyes still impossibly widened in shock. Slowly, Jongin nodded and began to float back down towards the balcony. As he got closer, he stretched one foot out to catch the edge of the balcony and Kyungsoo took a step back, watching in awe as Jongin landed gently on the stone before gracefully jumping down to the ground. 

He was dressed in that same deep green, leaf covered outfit Kyungsoo had seen before only in his dreams - and a part of him wondered how he had known exactly what it looked like - but it was only now that he was able to study the details up close. From this distance, he could now see that it was made of some sort of soft mesh, forming a pair of pants that covered every bit of his legs and a little way up the stomach where a brown woven belt was settled. The leaves were pressed into the fabric so that they covered the entire expanse of it, and the twigs he now noticed were actually bits of straw, woven through the whole outfit as though to provide extra support. His feet were bare and dirty and there was nothing covering the top half of his body, which had Kyungsoo averting his eyes as soon as he realised, but not before he caught sight of a moderately toned chest. 

And, as Jongin took the last step to stand directly in front of Kyungsoo, he saw that the tiny golden light was still hovering by Jongin's shoulder, except now it had also taken form. Were those.. wings? "Is that..." Kyungsoo started dumbly, unable to tear his eyes away from the tiny little man around the size of his pinky finger sitting on Jongin's bare shoulder. It was hard to tell with how small he was, not to mention how bright the glow around him was, but Kyungsoo was almost certain that he couldn't have been any older than both Jongin and himself, and he could've sworn that the man was frowning at him.

Sighing shakily, Jongin glanced down at the man on his shoulder. "Dae, please go for a little while. This'll be hard enough as it is," he muttered, and the little glowing man named 'Dae' appeared to huff (a tiny sprinkle of gold escaping as he did so) and cross his arms before flying away into the night.

Staring after the little golden sparkle in a mixture of wonderment and bafflement, Kyungsoo couldn't help but notice how it looked like a real life star.

"Hyung, let's.. let's go somewhere a little quieter," Jongin said sadly, and that was how Kyungsoo found himself sitting on his very own rooftop not a few minutes later. There wasn't nearly enough time for him to process everything, hence he was still gaping stupidly down at the rest of London around him ten minutes later. 

However, nothing could keep his gaze away from the beautiful boy by his side. "Jongin.. what on earth is all of this?" he asked softly, his voice surprisingly steady considering his knuckles were turning white with his grip on the rooftop.

Almost too slowly to notice, Jongin's hand crept over the cold, sloped surface to rest atop Kyungsoo's, and he immediately felt his muscles begin to relax. "I don't even know where to start, hyung..."

"Let's start with the other night," Kyungsoo suggested, a small, cheeky smile forming on his lips.

"You caught all of that, huh?" Jongin chuckled lowly, shaking his head a little before shooting Kyungsoo a fond look. "I might have known you weren't really asleep."

Giving Jongin's hand a soft, affectionate squeeze instead of replying, Kyungsoo remained quiet for a moment as the smile slowly faded from his features. "Jongin, you said the other night that you wished you could tell me everything. What did you mean? Is it.. the same reason why I haven't seen you in such a long time?"

With Jongin's eyes fixed on his own legs resting atop the sloping roof, his pained frown was just barely visible from Kyungsoo's angle, but he easily caught the shuddering breath that the younger boy released. "Yes, it is. I can't tell you everything right now, but.. Kyungsoo, I shouldn't be around you. I'm not good for you, and that's why I had to stay away for so long. I forced myself to stay away from you." Taking another deep breath, Jongin allowed a short spell of silence before continuing on. All the while, Kyungsoo listened attentively and did his best to process everything, slowly making sense of it all in his mind as the other spoke. "I'm not from around here, as in.. anywhere. I'm from a place called Neverland, a land that nobody knows about except those who live there, and I can't ever have a normal life here in London, or Paris, or anywhere else in the world. I'm bound to Neverland, which is one of the reasons why I shouldn't be around you. It'll only hurt both of us and.. as much as I want to be with you, it just isn't possible."

At these words, Kyungsoo felt his heart shatter beyond repair, every fantasy he had ever had of himself and Jongin being together crumbling before he could even process it all. He didn't understand at all, but something deep within him knew that Jongin was beyond intelligent - if he said it was impossible, it was impossible, and that was something that Kyungsoo just had to get his head around.

It didn't make it any easier to digest, nonetheless, and he knew that it was something he would never be able to fully accept. The feelings he had for Jongin had only grown more and more in his absence, so much so that Kyungsoo couldn't compare anything he had felt before to the emotions he was holding onto now. His heart was so full of love for this boy beside him; regardless of where he was from, how 'normal' he was or even how possible it was for them to be together, none of that could stop him from loving Jongin more than he had ever loved anyone or anything before in his entire life.

There was one thing he had to clarify, however, if only for his own peace of mind. "Jongin, the other night you said.. you also said that..."

"I love you," Jongin finished, lifting his head to meet Kyungsoo's tearful gaze. Hearing those words again felt a thousand times better than the first time, his heart pounding harder than it ever had before. His hand clasping tighter around Kyungsoo's, Jongin lifted his free hand to gently stroke his knuckles over the smaller's cheeks in the most loving gesture he had ever known. "You're beautiful, caring, clever and so talented, hyung. I've never heard a voice like yours before, that I can assure you. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love you."

Kyungsoo's heart positively leapt at the passion in the younger's words. He had never had anyone speak to him in such a way before, not since his mother and father had passed. Being here with Jongin suddenly made him realise how much he missed them both, as well as how much he missed the loving care and attention of another soul. Despite everything, sitting on the rooftop with Jongin on a mildly cool April morning felt so, so right, and there was so much happening in Kyungsoo's body in those moments that he failed to remember how Jongin had never even heard him sing, despite what he had just said.

No, all Kyungsoo could think about was how fast his heart was beating for the boy by his side. He held on to Jongin's gaze as though the tanned male would disappear were he to look away, the other's gentle touch still there and warm on his skin.

All at once, his lips were pressed just barely against a much warmer pair, and it took a few long seconds before Kyungsoo's brain caught up with his body and he realised that he was actually kissing Jongin. And then an endless stream of thoughts entered his mind, stumbling all over each other and jumbling up so much that he could no longer decipher them. Every fibre of his body was tingling, his heart flipping constantly in his chest for Jongin's lips were so, so much softer than he could have imagined. After several long beats Jongin finally began to press back, the hand on Kyungsoo's cheek sliding down to rest on the curve of the smaller male's neck. Nothing would ever compare to this moment, and when his body was finally under his control again, Kyungsoo shifted just enough that he was able to slip his free hand across the younger's abdomen, allowing him to move just a fraction closer—

Then as suddenly as the kiss had happened, Jongin was breaking away with a start, his eyes blown wide with fear and his lips parted in shock as he let out a ragged breath. "No, no, no," he whispered over and over, his voice growing louder and more frantic by the second while he stumbled to his feet. "Hyung, h-how could you— no, you've ruined everything! I—"

"Jongin, stop!" Kyungsoo cried, climbing up to a standing position himself and trying to grab ahold of Jongin's shoulders, but said boy jerked away from his touch as though he had been burnt. "What— what?"

"You shouldn't have done that, Kyungsoo, you— you— I have to go, I can't— I need to go," Jongin babbled hysterically as he desperately tried to avoid Kyungsoo's panicked grasp, and before the older could think what to do Jongin had kicked off from the rooftop, sending himself soaring high into the sky and away from everything.

"Jongin!" Kyungsoo yelled whilst racing to the edge of the roof, screaming with all his might for the boy who was so quickly disappearing into the night. It was all catching up with him now and he could feel the tears pricking at the backs of his eyes, the vision of his one and only love becoming smaller and smaller and blurring as the tears finally spilled. "Jongin, please! Jongin!"

Within seconds, Kyungsoo was left sobbing his heart out on the roof of his own home, with nobody around to hear his cries except for the whispering wind of the cold spring night, and his heart had once again been left to rot away all alone at the bottom of the heap.

~

Needless to say, Sehun and Zitao didn't hesitate to bombard him with questions when they opened up the attic window hours later, Kyungsoo having still been crouched down beside it, tears rolling endlessly down his cheeks and his knuckles rapping pathetically against the glass for help.

Of course, he hadn't a single ounce of energy left to tell them what had happened, and they could only share a look of pure worry as the eldest of the three dragged himself away to his chambers. A few hours later, Zitao bravely cracked open Kyungsoo's door to find him fast asleep in the middle of his bed, fully clothed and curled up in a foetal position, with freshly dried tear tracks streaking his harrowed face.

~

At five years of age, Kyungsoo was lucky enough to receive what would soon turn out to be the most precious gift of his life. It was Christmas of 1879 and the children of the Do household had always been fortunate in that they were given a number of gifts each, far more than most of the nation's infant population. Although it was rarely spoken of amongst the family, Zitao had been born into a Chinese family who hadn't the money to look after him, and had ended his turbulent early years in an incredibly well protected orphanage in London, England, the last gift that his parents were able to bestow upon him. Fortunately, it wasn't long before the Do family took him in and, although adopted unlike his two new brothers, he was equally as aware of the poverty that more than half of the country's population lived with.

Thus, all three of the household's children grew up with the knowledge of how incredibly fortunate they were, and would always do what they could to remember those in much lesser positions at Christmas.

However, as little Do Kyungsoo gazed down at the intricate device in his hands, he knew that this was one thing he could never ever let go of. It was a relatively heavy piece of metal, fashioned into the shape of an upside down cup with thousands of carefully cut holes decorating it all. Underneath was what appeared to be a strange glass shape, and there was something akin to a switch on the side of the wooden base.

"This is called a lamp, Sooya," Kyungsoo's father explained, gently tapping the metal with his fingernail. "If you flick the switch just there, you'll see what happens." With one nod over to Kyungsoo's mother, she turned out the lights with a smile of anticipation, and the whole room was thrust into darkness. It didn't take long for Kyungsoo to find the switch again, and when he pressed it the entire room seemed to explode with light. An endless sea of sparkles were clustered across the walls, the ceiling and the floor; they were everywhere, and an awestruck Kyungsoo hadn't the first idea where to look. "You know those stars I always tell you about from back when I lived in Korea? This is what they look like. Now you have your very own stars to look at."

"Papa, look!" the little boy gasped, his head turning this way and that as he tried to take in everything at once. With a hearty laugh, Kyungsoo's father gave his wife another quick nod and the lights came back on, hiding Kyungsoo's tiny lights as they disappeared amongst the rest. With a faint pout, he turned the device off and set it aside to open the rest of his gifts, but that didn't stop him from starting it up again later that night.

He was supposed to be asleep long ago, but the young Kyungsoo was in absolute awe as he stared around his room at the little flickers, his jaw hanging open and his eyes impossibly wide with wonder. He had always wanted to know what the mysterious 'stars' his father always told him about looked like, and now he knew.

"What's that?" came a small voice suddenly from behind the curtain in Kyungsoo's bedroom. If he had been any older, he would have noticed how the window his father usually left open just a fraction at night was now wide open, and the curtains framing it as well as those around his bed were all billowing gently.

The pattering of tiny footsteps sounded before one of Kyungsoo's bed curtains was gently brushed aside, and a head full of curly brown locks peaked round. It was a boy around his own age, with wide brown eyes and plump lips, his skin a fair few shades darker than Kyungsoo's own. He was like something out of the story books Kyungsoo's father often read to him, with the pictures of the handsome princes and heroes in the corners.

"Who are you?" Kyungsoo asked the intruder, who climbed on to the bed without reservation and crawled towards the lamp in his hands.

"My name is Jongin. What's yours?"

"Kyungsoo," he replied indignantly, hugging the lamp protectively.

"You have big eyes," the boy - Jongin - observed before pointing to the gift in Kyungsoo's arms. "What is that? I've never seen one before."

"Papa says it is a lamp," Kyungsoo explained, setting said device back on to the bed between them both and letting the light flood the room once more. "It makes stars. Look."

Frowning, Jongin followed Kyungsoo's outstretched finger to the walls all around them. "Those aren't stars. That is really pretty, though."

"I know they're not real ones," the round eyed boy huffed, though his disgruntlement towards Jongin's straightforwardness didn't last long. "Do you want to play with me?"

Thus the two commenced hours of intensely quiet imaginary games, for Kyungsoo was all too aware even at five of the fact that he would be scolded if he were caught still awake. Jongin was really fun to play with, he soon found, and his imagination was next to none. At his suggestion, they pretended they could fly and soar through the air and swoop down to talk to the mermaids in the ocean, then build castles and dance with fairies all night long until eventually the sun began to peak over the horizon, casting shadows all over Kyungsoo's room.

They talked a little as they played and got to know each other, and Kyungsoo learnt that his new companion was a year younger (at which point he demanded Jongin call him 'hyung' or he would cry) and lived with his brother and his lover, though not anywhere that Kyungsoo knew of. When he pointed out Jongin's peculiar green pants and lack of shirt, the boy shrugged and said that that was what he had to wear, so he just did. Kyungsoo had nothing to say to that.

At one point, Jongin abruptly stopped his make-belief gaming and gave Kyungsoo a terribly serious look. "Hyungie, I like you a lot."

"I like you too, Jonginnie," Kyungsoo chirped, his face splitting into an enormous grin which Jongin instantly mirrored. However, after a second the older's smile began to fade and his lips pulled into a small pout. "But grandmother always says it isn't right for boys to like boys. Does that mean I'm wrong?"

"No, hyungie! My older brother is a boy and so is Kris! They say that they love each other in secret, so as long as we love each other in secret too then it's okay."

Once again, Kyungsoo beamed at his new companion, for that answer was more than enough to satisfy him. He didn't know what secret meant, but he thought he could love Jongin inside of it anyway. Then they went back to playing without another word on the matter.

Still sitting on his bed, though having moved around quite a lot amidst their games, Kyungsoo was now slumped lazily against his pillows with Jongin lying beside him, the former's eyes sliding shut every few seconds before fluttering open again.

"Sleep, Kyungsoo hyungie," Jongin whispered, nuzzling his new friend's cheek contentedly with his own. "I have to go now anyway or I'll be in trouble."

Humming faintly, Kyungsoo let his eyes finally fall shut as he felt his body being pulled into a more comfortable position, and the last thing he felt before he fell asleep completely was the gentle press of lips against his own.

~

It wasn't until a fair few days after the incident on the roof that Sehun and Zitao dared breach the subject, for Kyungsoo had been in such a mess that night they found him that they agreed it could only be something to do with Jongin.

Strangely, however, Kyungsoo had arrived downstairs the next morning as bright as the early morning sun, in spite of the heavy swelling of his eyes and the still visible tear tracks down his cheeks. Exchanging a look of confusion, Zitao and Sehun both decided that this must simply be Kyungsoo's way of coping with whatever he had been through, so they had agreed to leave the questions a little longer until it wasn't all so fresh.

Nevertheless, the oldest brother's exhuberant mood continued across the following few days without a single mention of the mysterious tanned boy they were all familiar with, and when the physical signs of his distress had worn away again, the two youngest might have dared say Kyungsoo was looking positively radiant.

Therefore, they eventually decided that it was safe to approach the matter one night over dinner, when the three of them were midway through their three course meal courtesy of Rose.

"So, hyung," Sehun started tentatively, pushing a chunk of beef around his plate absently. "Are you.. ready to talk about the other night?"

"Hmm?" Kyungsoo hummed in a questioning tone, barely even looking up from his vegetables. "The other night?"

"Yes," Sehun frowned in puzzlement, glancing over at his brother in a silent call for help. "You know, on the roof?"

This time, Kyungsoo's own brows knitted together and he placed his cutlery down, giving his brothers his full attention. "The roof? What are you talking about, Sehuna? What happened the other night?"

"Hyung, you were on the roof at nearly midnight on the night of my birthday," Sehun informed the older apprehensively, his features screwed together in absolute perplexity. "You were crying your eyes out."

"You really don't remember?" Zitao chimed in, his own face filled with pure stupefaction. "How do you not remember?"

As Kyungsoo's gaze flickered between his brothers' incredulous faces, he began to feel the worry and fear building inside of himself. What was so important about the other night that he couldn't remember? Thinking back, he tried his hardest to recall what he had been doing the night of Sehun's birthday celebrations and to his astonishment, there was an enormous black void of time in which he could remember absolutely nothing. One moment he had been standing out on the balcony trying to stargaze, which he was certain was only a couple of hours after all the guests had gone home, and the next thing he remembered after that was waking up early the next morning to find himself curled up atop the covers. Confused, he had simply changed into his night clothes before slipping under the sheets and falling asleep again.

Now, he was beyond terrified at the thought of how much time he seemed to have lost, and he had absolutely no idea why he could not remember anything. "I can't remember anything, I— what happened that night? Why can't I remember what I did?" he babbled as his eyes flickered all over the room, his breathing growing jagged and broken surprisingly quickly.

"Hyung, calm down," Zitao reassured the older, reaching over the table to take a hold of Kyungsoo's hand. By his side, Sehun began to rub over his brother's back in an attempt to calm him, and Kyungsoo's eventually seemed to slow down a little again.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," the youngest suggested, though his tone wasn't all that convincing. "Perhaps you just blocked it out because it was so traumatic. By the looks of you, Zitao and I figured it was something to do with Jongin, so that would likely explain things."

Despite their comforting smiles, Sehun and Zitao watched with uneasiness as Kyungsoo's entire face seemed to become even more disconcerted. "Who is Jongin?"

The two youngest's blood ran cold. "What?" Zitao uttered finally, breaking the stony silence that had settled over all three of them.

"Is.. is he important?" Kyungsoo asked, the fear in his voice building again. "Is he someone I should know?"

Sharing one last worried glance, Zitao and Sehun each took a deep breath in before the former spoke for the last time. "Never mind, hyung. Perhaps you hit your head whilst you were up on the roof."

Nothing more was said on the matter for a long time, for the two youngest didn't dare risk sending Kyungsoo the right way for a panic attack again. However, they agreed alone that they would begin to try and jog the boy's memory in the best way that they could, feeding him brief snippets of information regarding what they knew of Kyungsoo and Jongin's relationship, though only from time to time and not all at once.

Eventually undeterred by the fact that he appeared to have forgotten the most important person in his life at that time, Kyungsoo resolved himself to giving his best efforts to learning every single thing his brothers told him about this complete stranger, so much so that over time he began to build up a fairly solid image of their entire relationship. Even so, there was still not an inch of a face in his mind to pair with it all.

Nonetheless, he prayed that he would one day get to meet this mysterious boy, so that he could eventually see what all the fuss was about.

~

For all the suffering he had been through in the last few months, Kyungsoo could now only imagine what it had been like. With the burden of an unrequited love no longer bearing on his shoulders each day, he felt as like as a feather and free of any tribulations. With each new dawn he would head out to work, a spring in his step even when he returned home at the end of the day, for there was nothing at all for him to worry himself over.

On one particular day, he arrived home only to find Sehun lounging in the drawing room by the fire, a hefty book resting on his stomach. "Where is Zitao?" Kyungsoo asked, craning his neck a little to glance into the next room to see if he could spot the middle brother.

"Taoya? He isn't back yet," Sehun responded nonchalantly, not bothering to lift his eyes from the book. Humming shortly in reply, Kyungsoo decided that it wasn't anything to worry about and placed his briefcase down by the stairs, before heading back through to join Sehun in front of the fire.

It wasn't too long after that they heard the large front doors squeaking open, and the sound of voices travelled through the halls of the house to where Sehun and Kyungsoo were relaxing. Both watching the drawing room archway curiously, they were surprised when Zitao finally appeared with an unfamiliar boy in tow, the two of them chatting merrily as they entered.

The boy was tall and fair with bright, sparkling eyes, visibly long lashes and full cheeks, making him look much younger than he likely was. His hair was sandy blonde and swept upwards slightly, and the light brown tuxedo he was wearing accentuated his slight figure.

"Good afternoon, Zitao," Kyungsoo greeted his brother from where he was sitting on the couch, shooting the newcomer a friendly smile when he met Kyungsoo's gaze. It was a rare occurrence for Zitao to bring home a friend, though not at all an unwelcome one. Having all been homeschooled or at boarding school since a young age, there wasn't a lot of opportunity to meet others of their age, so any and all acquaintances were generally welcome in their home.

"Hello, hyung!" Zitao replied cheerfully, leading his friend over to where his brothers were lounging. "This is Luhan. He'll be joining us for dinner, if that isn't a problem?"

"Of course not." Kyungsoo shook his head, pushing himself out of his seat to shake Luhan's hand and Sehun swiftly following suit. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Luhan. I'm Kyungsoo, Zitao's older brother."

"Sehun," said boy introduced himself straight away, also giving Luhan's hand a friendly shake with a smile.

"The pleasure is mine, Kyungsoo, Sehun. Zitao has told me all about you both," the boy responded, the smile on his face stretching all the way to his eyes as Zitao gave him a gentle nudge.

Straightening up again, Zitao glanced between his brothers with a pleased expression, no doubt over the moon with how well his brothers had reacted to his new friend. "Well, I'm going to give Luhan a tour of the house. Shall we see you later on for dinner?"

"Of course," Kyungsoo nodded once, waving a hand as though to coax the two out of the room again. "Enjoy. We shall see you later."

Returning to their reading, Sehun and Kyungsoo saw nothing more of Zitao and his friend until later that evening when they sat down to dinner together, though they could hear the two's cheerful voices and laughter from various parts of the house.

After a little while, Kyungsoo marked the page in his book and exchanged it for the day's newspaper sitting on the side table. The maids must have brought it in from the gates earlier that afternoon, for the pages were still neatly pressed and unread.

Leisurely flicking through the pages, he barely took notice of what he was reading; there was an article informing that the local bookstore was in danger of closing, countless advertisements for new businesses being launched, another report about a possible fraud scandal. However, there was one article that did manage to catch his eye, entitled "Missing Child Case Left Unsolved." Intrigued, Kyungsoo read on, and all of a sudden his heart came to a stop.

After twelve years, wealthy family from London still searching for their missing sons, Junmyeon and Jongin.

Not even bothering to read on any further, Kyungsoo simply stared at the name written before him in a mixture of shock and confusion. Jongin... That was the name of the boy his brothers insisted he could not remember, so how could it be that he had been missing for twelve whole years? Sehun and Zitao said Jongin had been a new friend, someone he only met at the masquerade dance late last year. Therefore, it couldn't possibly be the same Jongin, and Kyungsoo's shoulders once again relaxed.

Even so, a small part of his brain reminded him that Korean immigrants were far from common in the centre of London, so how many Jongin's could there realistically be? Nevertheless, he shook the strange feeling that something wasn't right off and continued reading on without another thought.

A little while later, as Rose and several of the older maids went about serving the meals, Kyungsoo and his brothers settled down to learn about Luhan on a more intimate level. 

"So, how did the two of you meet?" Kyungsoo asked conversationally as he began to dig into his pork, thanking one of the maids as she poured him some wine.

"It's rather amusing, actually," Zitao responded with a soft chuckle from Luhan, the two of them sharing a grin before he continued again. "We had both stopped to look at a poster for the new Shakespeare performance showing at the theatre, Othello. You know the protagonist is a man of colour? It is terribly progressionist, but I think it could have great consequences."

With a small smile, Kyungsoo shot his brother a fond look. A boy far ahead of his time, Zitao was often hoping for some sort of reform regarding race, for he felt that it was an issue much too impactful to ignore. Of course, with the three of them being quite clear immigrants, it was a topic that all of them held close to their hearts, but Zitao was the only one naive enough to truly believe that there could be change. "Taoya, I am sure it is merely a story to many. However, the issue often lies within social class rather than colour."

"I agree," Luhan spoke up, his eyes flicking between the three brothers. "The people of London are far more concerned with class than country of origin. However I, myself, have Chinese ancestors, so it is nice for the 'other' to be associated with higher class for a change."

"Anyway, you said you were both looking at the same poster?" Kyungsoo enquired, reverting the subject just slightly to allow Zitao to finish his original point.

"Yes," Zitao nodded, his spirits seeming to rise slightly once again. "We got talking about it and simply began discussing Shakespeare's other plays whilst we walked. Luhan just moved here and began working at the bank in the town, so he was telling me all about his hometown and everything."

"Where are you from, may I ask?" Sehun piped up suddenly, his cheeks reddening slightly when three pairs of eyes turned on him curiously.

"It is a place very far away, so you mightn't have heard of it," Luhan explained with a faint smile, and he seemed to almost wait for everyone's full, undivided attention before continuing, a rather unusual expression on his face. "It is called Neverland."

At the sound of Luhan's hometown, the most peculiar feeling settled over Kyungsoo's body. Momentarily, he felt as though he was in another place, the word echoing around in the chambers of his mind as he tried to figure out why on earth it sounded so familiar. 

"Neverland? I cannot say I've heard of it before," Sehun was saying, but Kyungsoo's mind was only partly registering his words. "Is that in the south of London somewhere?"

No, a voice in Kyungsoo's head instantly replied, and he had no idea why he felt so certain about it. He had never heard of the place before either, but why did he feel like he had?

Willing himself to return to his presence in the room, Kyungsoo suddenly noticed that Luhan was watching him with this awfully intense gaze, like he could read exactly what was going on in Kyungsoo's mind in that instance. Almost unable to look away, Kyungsoo held his gaze for what seemed like a long time, Luhan's eyes still on him even when he spoke again.

"No, it isn't," the boy answered simply, eventually tearing his gaze away from a befuddled Kyungsoo. Then, he leaned forwards against the table slightly as his voice lowered a fraction, and the atmosphere suddenly felt a lot more intimate. "It is a place like nothing you would ever believe, full of magic and powers and everything you have ever dreamed of. There are creatures you have only ever heard of in story books, like pixies and mermaids and fairies."

"That is ridiculous," Zitao snorted in amusement, playfully nudging Luhan on the arm. "You should have been a novelist, not a banker."

"It's true!" Luhan exclaimed indignantly, glancing between the incredulous faces of the two youngest brothers. Meanwhile, Kyungsoo was beginning to feel as though something wasn't right at all. "I can even prove it to you."

"How so?" Sehun retorted, though he leaned forward with undisguised interest.

A sly, conspiratorial grin formed on Luhan's face as he raised one brow, then slowly let his eyes flutter closed. The grin slid from his face once more and he straightened up in his seat, though he didn't move otherwise at all. Then, all of a sudden a glow of golden light came soaring through the open window at the end of the dining hall, growing slightly larger and brighter until it stopped and hovered just above Luhan's shoulder, at which point he opened his eyes and grinned at the ball of light.

As Kyungsoo squinted to see it better, he noticed that it was the tiny body of a man peering up at Luhan, and he felt the most unusual sense that he had seen this man before. Sure enough, the man turned to stare right back at him before giving him a little wave. Stunned, Kyungsoo could do nothing except tear his gaze away from the figure to Luhan's face.

"This is Dae, a fairy," he explained plainly, as though there wasn't an actual mythical creature settling itself down and crossing its legs on his shoulder.

"No way," Sehun breathed, at the same time that Zitao uttered a disbelieving, "How in the world..."

"He flew all the way from Neverland just a moment ago when I called him," Luhan continued on unperturbed, and Kyungsoo now realised what he had been doing when he closed his eyes.

"How is this even possible?" the eldest brother murmured, his brows furrowed as he shook his head in disbelief. To his surprise, Dae rose up at the sound of his voice and flew over to him, hovering in the air in front of the boy's face. Out of nowhere, a tiny top hat materialised on the fairy's head with a sprinkle of gold dust and he tipped it in Kyungsoo's direction, a gesture of both familiarity and respect.

"He is a real person?" Sehun gaped as he and Zitao watched the fairy's little show in amazement, clearly unable to believe their own eyes.

"A fairy, not a person," Luhan corrected with a faint smile. "But yes, he is as real as you and I. He sees, he thinks, he feels, everything that a human can do he can do with the addition of magic, except only a fairy's master can hear them speak. The rest of us can only interpret their gestures."

As Luhan spoke, Dae continued to hover in front of Kyungsoo's very eyes and with the last half of Luhan's sentence, he straightened his back suddenly and ran his pinched thumb and forefinger across his lips, an actual zip so small it was barely visible reappearing in place of his mouth. Kyungsoo couldn't help but release a stunned laugh at the sight, his eyebrows rising in sheer disbelief as the zip melted away and left a clear grin on Dae's face.

"Do you have magic?" Zitao asked into the awestruck silence of the room, his gaze turning on Luhan with intrigue. The two other brothers followed suit, all three of them looking at their guest expectantly.

"Why, of course I can," Luhan responded matter-of-factly, his smile widening as though he was relishing in all the attention. With an animated quirk of his brows, he whispered, "I can fly!" before launching himself out of his chair and seemingly gliding, bouncing across the dining table with Dae hot on his heels. It was like watching a slow moving motion picture, as though he was somehow defying gravity before he reached the end of the table and allowed himself to fall forwards freely, where he immediately began to glide through the air to the other end of the dining hall and back again. Grinning down at the stunned brothers as he passed between them, he came to a gentle stop by practically stepping onto the table and taking a few more slides to slow himself down, eventually hopping gracefully off of the table edge and back into his seat. "What'd you think?"

For a moment, the siblings were all rendered speechless, Sehun's and Zitao's mouths bobbing open and closed like that of a fish. "T-That was incredible," Zitao eventually breathed, his eyes rounded in wonder.

"Can you do anything else?" Sehun eagerly asked, the way he was jumping slightly in his seat not at all concealing his excitement.

All the while, Kyungsoo was still trying to process what he had just seen, for Luhan's movements had looked so familiar but he couldn't place where on earth he had seen someone move like that before. Of course, he had never seen anyone fly before tonight, so he presumed that he was simply remembering the dainty movements of a rather talented dancer of some sort.

"I can communicate with people verbally through the power of my mind only, read your thoughts and tell you what I want you to hear. Where I'm from, we call that 'telepathy'," Luhan continued before his gaze focused in on Sehun, growing in intensity with the narrowing of his eyes.

After a split second, Sehun gasped and pushed himself back into his chair, a reflexive reaction to the shock that was evident on his face. "Y-Your voice, I can hear it in my- my head!" he stammered, his eyes impossibly wide as he gawped over at Luhan.

With a mischievous grin, Luhan turned his gaze on Zitao, whose cheeks instantly turned a deep shade of red and he shot his two brothers a nervous glance each, as though praying to the gods that they couldn't also hear whatever he was being told in his mind.

Snickering softly and shooting the boy a wink, Luhan's eyes then slid over to meet Kyungsoo's, who had been watching the previous exchanges with nothing but a building feeling of dread in his stomach. There was something telling him to be wary, warning him that he couldn't be sure of Luhan's true nature - after all, they could accuse him of witchcraft and he would be burned within an instant, so why was he showing them all of these things? What did he stand to gain from revealing all of his secrets to three unsuspecting brothers?

I want to help you, came a voice inside of his head out of the blue, a voice that was undoubtedly Luhan's. Sure enough, Kyungsoo looked over to find said boy gazing right back at him. I'm telling you because I want to help. 

Knowing that Luhan's words could only have been a response to the thoughts in his mind at that very moment, Kyungsoo focused on making his next thoughts as loud as he possibly could. Help with what?

All in good time, was Luhan's only answer before he broke whatever connection he had just built between them, and Kyungsoo was left feeling absolutely none the wiser. What on earth did Luhan want to help him with?

"There are many others in Neverland, but it is only those born with the wildest imaginations who possess powers," Luhan revealed, his gaze flickering between those of Sehun and Zitao. The two were listening with the utmost attention, though Kyungsoo's mind was still reeling from what he had just heard. "One is able to manipulate the element of fire, whilst another draws upon light energy to control how he may appear to others." Shooting Kyungsoo a subtle glance, he added, "My dearest friend also has a form of mind control, though he can make you see whatever he wants you to see. Even things your eyes have never before fallen upon."

Lowering his head, Kyungsoo tried to make sense of everything he was hearing, but it was almost an unachievable feat. Only hours previously, an unfamiliar boy had walked into their home with his younger brother and been warmly welcomed into their household, and here he had the audacity to share such ludicrous stories with the three of them as though he had every right to fill their heads with fantasies, of far away places that shouldn't exist but hold everything they could ever desire.

He didn't know what Luhan's true intentions were, whether he had simply come here to tell them of things they could only dream of seeing or whether he was intending something bigger with his words, but Kyungsoo could not bear it any longer.

If Neverland was real, it sounded like a place where dreams really did come true, a place where nothing would ever feel wrong nor would they ever be unhappy, but it was not realistic at all. Kyungsoo and his brothers could never go there, for they would only become lost in the joys of fantastical creatures and happy endings.

"It is getting late," he said gravely, cutting through the discussion still going on between his brothers and their mysterious guest. Lifting his head to meet Luhan's eyes, Kyungsoo endeavoured to project his gratitude towards the boy through his mind as he had done before, and it didn't take long for Luhan's features soften from an expression of surprise to one of understanding. 

He gave a short, barely noticeable nod before addressing the two youngest brothers. "Kyungsoo is right, I have outstayed my welcome," he smiled warmly at the both of them, who resisted the urge to shine and protest in favour of simply grumbling defeatedly and rising to their feet. "But if all is well, I shall return with more stories of my home some time in the future."

"Yes!" Zitao and Sehun chorused before catching themselves, looking to Kyungsoo for approval.

Chuckling softly at their antics, he nodded once as he and the sandy haired boy rose to their feet. "That would be nice, Luhan. Please do visit again, but I shall walk you to the entrance for now."

Allowing the man of the house to do his business of seeing their guest out, Sehun and Zitao each took turns bidding Luhan a friendly goodbye. Zitao pulled the latter into a warm hug which was far from acceptable outside of the house, but a small pleasure which Kyungsoo could not deny his dear brother and his friend. Rather awkwardly, the two brothers also waved a tentative goodbye to the golden fairy, who only pulled a displeased face at the both of them in response.

As Sehun and Zitao disappeared into the depths of the house, Kyungsoo walked side by side with the remaining boy to the great front doors of the house. "Thank you for entertaining my brothers and I tonight, Luhan. It has been lovely to meet you and I hope you enjoyed yourself," he said as the two of them stepped out onto the grand porch, Dae still floating just a short way above Luhan's shoulder. Summer was only several months away yet the night time air still carried a terrible chill, and Kyungsoo rubbed his arm over the opposite shirt sleeve in a feeble attempt to keep the cold away.

"I had the most wonderful time, so thank you. Zitao is very special to me, and I have a feeling you and I will become great friends very soon," Luhan replied with a small, secretive smile, but before Kyungsoo could question his words he was starting down the many steps to the courtyard, pausing once he was half way down.

Lifting a hand in a fond wave, Kyungsoo called down to him. "Goodbye, Luhan. Take care travelling home—... never mind." He shook his head clear with a smile and Luhan released a soft laugh. "I don't even want to think about how you will get there but—"

"Luhan."

Unexpectedly, an unfamiliar voice cut Kyungsoo off and he squinted in an attempt to identify the figure standing a little way from the bottom of the steps, Luhan glancing over his shoulder in surprise.

"Hey— what are you doing here?" he asked with a genuine tone of perplexity, and that was all it took for Kyungsoo to realise that Luhan was familiar with this person. "I thought—"

"Why do you have my fairy?" the figure questioned in a wary tone and moved closer to the stone steps, allowing the light spilling from the inside of the house to flood onto his face.

Before them stood the most beautiful boy Kyungsoo had ever seen with deeply intense, dark eyes, a perfectly sculpted jawline and the loveliest plump lips. He was only wearing what appeared to be a pair of leaf covered pants, and Kyungsoo wondered how he wasn't freezing to death right now.

"Hello, sir," Kyungsoo called when he had finally found his voice again, though much to his dismay it was a tad bit shaky. The boy seemed to startle at the sound of his voice before shooting Luhan a look of something akin to betrayal, who slowly descended the steps to join this boy at the bottom.

"Hello," the boy returned his greeting, sounding rather stilted.

"Dae.. is your fairy?" Kyungsoo asked cautiously, not quite sure whether or not he wanted to know the answer. "Are you from Neverland, too?"

Once again, Jongin's head snapped round to look at Luhan who was now standing by his side, and the expression on his handsome features was undoubtedly one of pure hurt.

Brows guiltily pulled upwards, Luhan tilted his head to one side as his eyes seemed to plead for mercy. "You cannot keep him in the dark forever, Jongin."

Jongin. Kyungsoo's heart jolted at the name, and he stared down at the scantily clad boy as if he were seeing him again for the first time. "Jongin," he echoed dumbly, his voice so quiet it was almost carried away on the breeze. "It's you."

As Jongin whirled around to meet his eyes, Kyungsoo couldn't explain how rapidly his heart was beating. "You remember me?" Jongin whispered shakily and began to make his way slowly up the steps, leaving Kyungsoo suddenly feeling overcome with a crushing sense of guilt.

He wanted nothing more than to tell this boy that yes, he did remember him, but he could not deny that any memories he had were undoubtedly false, for he knew nothing about the tanned boy except from the stories his brothers had told him. "No," he said finally and swallowed hard, exhaling sharply as he watched Jongin's face fall. "I-I only know what my brothers have told me. Though if-if it's any consolation, I believe they tried to tell me everything."

Now standing no more than a foot away from Kyungsoo, Jongin lowered his head and gave a single, devastated nod, and Kyungsoo could see how hard he was frowning as if trying to keep the inevitable pain away. After all, Sehun and Zitao had been commendably good at describing the look of complete adoration in Jongin's eyes whenever the smaller boy was around, yet he remembered not a single thing that happened between them since the very day that they met until now.

"I want you to tell me everything," Kyungsoo demanded as steadily as he could, and Jongin's head rose just enough for him to look the other in the eyes.

~

As he sat atop the sloped rooftop of his own home, Kyungsoo was overcome with the strong feeling that he had been in this situation before. There was a terribly uncomfortable silence lingering over him and the tanned boy by his side, neither of them quite sure how to start the conversation.

When he could stand it no longer, Kyungsoo took it upon himself to do the deed. "So..." he started listlessly and immediately trailed off, rolling his eyes at his own incapability before trying again. "If you are also from.. Neverland, I take it that you and Luhan are familiar with each other."

Pressing his lips together in a faint smile, Jongin nodded, though his eyes stayed glued to his own lap. "Yes, we are. I suppose you could even say that we're best friends."

"So—"

"Look, hyung," the younger boy cut in, his brows pulled together in distress as he turned himself around to face Kyungsoo. "I can only tell you what I've told you before, the things you don't remember. Once, I told you that I wished I had the courage to tell you everything, and one day I will. But that day isn't today, so I can only tell you what you have already known at some point in the past."

Shocked at the sudden outburst and passion in Jongin's voice, Kyungsoo only nodded his head in response. His brothers had told him before that Jongin was a complete mystery to them all, an enigma that none of them had yet been able to solve. From what Jongin was saying, something told Kyungsoo that he had once upon a time been aware of the fact that Jongin was different, before whatever had happened to make him forget. However, from Sehun and Zitao's pure shock tonight upon seeing what Luhan could do, it was evident that they had had no idea that this entire other world called Neverland existed before that night.

If Jongin had been hiding all of this even before Kyungsoo forgot, who knew what else he was going to keep to himself? All Kyungsoo could do was believe him, believe that he would one day reveal everything about himself.

"So, what have your brothers told you about us?" Jongin asked almost timidly, and Kyungsoo realised that he actually looked a little nervous.

With a small smile of reassurance, he told Jongin what he knew; that they had met at a dance, that after a long time Kyungsoo suddenly came home and introduced Jongin to them, and the latter had stayed for dinner until late into the evening. He knew that he had become a recluse since he was so upset about having not seen Jongin in so long, but his brothers had picked him up and he had soon started to feel normal again. At this point, everything became a little hazy from Zitao and Sehun's viewpoints, but they had told Kyungsoo that he grew close with a girl called Irene and spent a lot of his days with her, though he eventually called it off fully on Sehun's birthday (Kyungsoo decided not to mention that his reasoning had apparently been that he loved Jongin). From then on, all his brothers could tell him was that they had found him crying his heart out on the rooftop that night and they had no idea why.

Once he had finished, Jongin took a slow, deep breath in as though steeling himself for something. "Okay then, let us start with the beginning. The masquerade dance was exactly as your brothers described it- it was perfect but brief, we danced together and flirted a little and then you had to move on, so I left. I wasn't supposed to be there, see, but I just came to watch and I thought you looked beautiful." For a minute, Kyungsoo's cheeks bloomed pink at the compliment and he ducked his head shyly.

"But the thing is, Kyungsoo, I shouldn't be around you. We're from different worlds and you don't belong in mine, and I can't stay in yours, so I tried to stay away from you so that it would be easier. I hoped you would forget about me and I think you did for a little while but I couldn't stay away, so I just watched silently from a distance and came to check on you every now and then." Emitting a soft chuckle, a small smile rested on Jongin's lips as he shook his head in amusement. "You won't believe it, but the only reason you saw me again was because I tripped when I was trying to land and fell past you. You were out buying bread so I pretended I was, too, and just tagged along for a little while. I couldn't stop myself flirting just a little more, but you got frustrated for some reason and invited me back for dinner."

Frowning slightly, Kyungsoo briefly tried to work out how his angry self came to the solution of dinner.

Sighing softly, Jongin continued. "I panicked because I realised I was getting too close to you, that you might start to become attached, but I went along with it anyway. And you did get attached. I didn't see you come out of your house for weeks, but eventually you did move on and you met Irene. Things were going really well between you two, but I'm not quite sure why you called it off. I think it may have been about the day she said she didn't share your faith in the stars, but I can't be sure.

"All I know is that on Sehun's birthday, I got too close. You saw me and I was flying, so I had to explain myself. I told you about Neverland and how much I loved you and all, but.. that we couldn't be together." Tentatively, Jongin lifted his head to look at Kyungsoo, and his eyes were full of sadness. "Because we don't belong together. The dance.. it wasn't the first time we met."

Kyungsoo blinked, suddenly flooded with confusion. "What?"

There was a long pause before Jongin spoke again, and a mix of grief and nostalgia crossed his features. "We met before when we were both younger. This isn't the first time you've forgotten me."

"But.. why?" Kyungsoo whispered, his eyebrows furrowed deep as he tried to comprehend how he could have forgotten Jongin completely. He had absolutely no recollection of seeing Jongin as a child, so how?

Dismissively, Jongin shook his head, one hand waving slightly as though to ward Kyungsoo off. "It's far too complicated to explain right now, but.. it will only stop if I stay away from you," he sighed, his voice quiet and miserable.

His mind reeling, Kyungsoo tried desperately to make sense of it all. "But how.. how can I move on without you? Jongin, even the little things my brothers could tell me were enough for me to want to discover everything about you, everything that makes you you."

"Exactly, hyung," Jongin replied as he grabbed Kyungsoo's hands, trying to make him understand. "Don't you see? One day the time will come when you forget me and I have to stay away forever, because that's the only way you'll be able to move on and live your life. I am sixteen years old, hyung, I'll turn seventeen next January and then I will be seventeen forever." Still holding Kyungsoo's hands in his, Jongin looked down at them as he squeezed gently. "That is the curse of Neverland." 

There was silence for a while, Kyungsoo unsure of what to say next. How could he even argue? Jongin was right; if the love he felt for this boy was once as strong as everyone said it was, it will grow again and he won't ever be able to move on from it. How could he forget such a unique person as Jongin?

"For now," he said at last, his voice cracking to a whisper as he spoke. "Please just let me know you for now."

Jongin seemed stunned for a second as he stared back at Kyungsoo, until eventually he breathed a soft laugh. "I can't keep you away, can I? I have a feeling you'll only chase after me if I leave."

With a grin, Jongin freed one hand to gently tap Kyungsoo's nose, a similar smile breaking out on the smaller's face when he replied. "I'd search the stars all over for you."

At that, a contemplative look seemed to cross Jongin's face, his bottom lip caught between his teeth and his eyes narrowed. "Hyung," he said finally, head tilted to one side in consideration. "You've seen real stars once before, when you were much younger. Would you like to see them again?"

Stunned into silence, Kyungsoo could only nod frantically. To his surprise, he felt both of Jongin's hands come to rest gently on the sides of his face, tanned fingers pressing lightly against his temples.

Then, all of a sudden, it was like he had been fired up into outer space. He was surrounded by billions of shining stars glowing brighter than he could ever imagine and whole other worlds and even the moon, all turning slowly in the jet black void of nothingness. 

Kyungsoo couldn't believe his eyes, for he was staring out in amazement at so much more than just the stars. Who knew that there was so much out there beyond their world, so much to be seen and discovered? Above all, nobody would have guessed how stunningly beautiful it all was.

Slowly, spots of light began to ebb through the darkness and break it up, until Kyungsoo could soon make out Jongin's face coming back into view, his eyes closed in concentration before they fluttered open. His arms carefully fell to his sides, and it was then that Kyungsoo realised.

"It was you," he blinked, gazing at Jongin as if seeing him again for the first time. "The friend Luhan talked about. You can make people see whatever you want."

This boy was absolutely incredible, Kyungsoo couldn't help but thinking, and he wondered what more Jongin had to offer. Regardless, he wasn't sure how much he could take until he fell madly in love with the other male once more. Even just the thought that Jongin had once shown him the stars when he was a child had his heart practically bursting with affection.

"Anything," Jongin agreed, and he did have the decency to look rather embarrassed. His cheeks were dusted with a faint pink and there was a tiny smile pulling at his lips, making him look all the more charming and youthful. When his brothers had been telling him about Jongin, Kyungsoo had often wondered how old the other boy was, and now he knew. For all that his features were as chiselled and sharp as a man's, there was something about him that had always just made him sound far younger.

The two of them held each other's gaze even as their minds were hovering elsewhere, and Kyungsoo was snapped back to the present at the feeling of Jongin's soft, cold touch on his cheek.

"I'm so sorry, hyung..." Jongin whispered, his gaze trailing down to Kyungsoo's lips every now and then before finding its way back up to his eyes.

"What for?" A frown marred Kyungsoo's features, even as his breath hitched a little in response to the cool fingers stroking his skin.

"I just can't help myself," came Jongin's ragged answer, then suddenly his eyes were closing and he was leaning in, and not a second later his lips were on Kyungsoo's.

The elder's own eyes slid shut as a feeling of overwhelming bliss flooded his body, his every nerve exploding with fire and sending him swirling into a world of absolute euphoria. Jongin's kiss was everything he seemed to be as a person - tender, caring and so, so unbelievably soft - so much so that Kyungsoo didn't want it to end.

It didn't go any further than a gentle press of lips, though Jongin let his lips linger for a while before he was slowly, reluctantly pulling away, his hands once again sliding from Kyungsoo's face and leaving a niggling coldness in their wake.

When Kyungsoo's eyes fluttered open moments later, Jongin was gone with nothing but a faint gush of air left behind, and he was all alone on the rooftop of his own home.

That night, Kyungsoo didn't sleep a single wink. From dusk till dawn his mind was a cacophony of noise, thoughts of Luhan and Jongin and his conversation with the latter spinning endlessly around in his head. However hard he tried, there was absolutely no chance that he was getting any sleep; his eyes stubbornly remained wide open as he watched the sun slowly begin to peek through his satin curtains.

Cursing his brain for being so active, Kyungsoo had no choice but to embrace the night and use it to finish the book he was currently reading, all the while replaying his talk with Jongin over and over in his head.

~

Rocking gently on his swing seat, he watched on as the other children in his class played with a box of toys the school had just received. They were from a gracious wealthy family whose children had grown out of toys and games now, so they had given them away to the same school that the children had once attended themselves. 

At the tender age of seven, it was Kyungsoo's first year of education, and the simple addition of a boarding school didn't make it any easier. He had always clung to his mother's frame as a child, bursting into an extraordinary flood of tears whenever he was forced to leave her side, so being educated away from home was an extremely difficult experience for him. 

However, the swings were a simple touch that reminded him so dearly of home, being almost exactly the same as the set he had out in the garden, thus he often chose to play alone on the swings instead of with any of the other toys. Besides, since a wealthy Korean-born child was a considerable rarity in 1880s London, playing with the other children was a challenge in itself.

Though he had to admit, that brand new skipping rope someone had just plucked from the box did look rather interesting.

Paying it no mind, Kyungsoo kicked his feet against the ground to swing himself higher, feeling the wind ruffle his dark brown locks as he did so. He had often been able to find pleasure in his own company and even preferred playing alone, so it was nice to have the entire swing set to himself today. Usually the other children would come over after a while and begin pushing him off, claiming the seats for themselves.

As he came to a stop again and settled his feet back down on the ground, he noticed that there was someone sitting on the seat beside him. It was an Asian boy no older than himself, and Kyungsoo found himself intrigued to see another child of the same ethnicity as him. He had never seen another non-Caucasian child in London before, let alone at his boarding school. Speaking of, he was fairly certain this boy did not go to his school, and he would have been formally introduced if he were a new student.

Perhaps what was most unusual about him was the fact that he was dressed in nothing but a pair of pants covered with leaves, his stomach partially covered by a strange brown belt and nothing at all on his tanned body from that point upwards. He must be frozen, Kyungsoo thought, glancing down at his own trouser shorts and jacket. Even he was cold and his nanny had dressed him in several layers this morning.

"Hello, hyung!" the unfamiliar boy chirped, and Kyungsoo was surprised to recognise a greeting in his native language of Korean. Why was this boy so familiar with him when they had never met before?

"Who are you?" he asked in English, choosing not to engage with the personal language reference.

"It's me, Jongin," the boy replied, his brows pulling together in a frown as he tore his gaze away from the other children. He had also reverted back to English, which Kyungsoo was happy to hear. His mother and father always told him never to speak in his native tongue outside of the house. "Don't you remember me?"

Seven year old Kyungsoo shook his head.

"Ah, I guess it's been a while," Jongin shrugged, a cheeky grin appearing on his face as he turned to look out across the playground. "I would've thought you'd remember me though, hyung. We had such fun together back then."

Kyungsoo hadn't a clue what the tanned boy was talking about, but surely there had to be an explanation. He continued staring at Jongin beside him, trying to remember if he had seen this child somewhere before for them to have had fun together. However, what troubles a grownup will never trouble a child, and so he eventually decided that there was no harm in being friends with Jongin.

"Hyung, why aren't you playing with the other kids?" Jongin asked, pointing straight in front of him. Kyungsoo followed his finger to where the rest of his class were playing with the skipping rope he had been eyeing earlier, a hopscotch on the floor and several other small toys. Break time was nearly over, but Kyungsoo had spent the entirety of it on his own until this Jongin boy showed up.

His eyes fixed on the dirt he was kicking up with his feet, Kyungsoo was unaware of the powerful pout pulling at his lips. "They don't want to play with me, but that's okay. I just play by myself instead."

"Why not?"

"They think I'm weird," the small seven year old mumbled, embarrassed to be sharing this information to a stranger. "They say it's because I look different."

"That's ridiculous, Kyungie," Jongin retorted immediately, his voice carrying a carefree and blasé tone. "I'll play with you, shall I?"

For a short moment, Kyungsoo hesitated, but he soon came to the conclusion that he was feeling a little lonely after all, and Jongin would be the perfect company.

As his new friend pushed him higher and higher on the swing, Kyungsoo's excited giggles rang out across the section of playground that they were in, his face splitting in the widest grin he had ever felt.

"Haven't you got any friends, hyung?" Jongin called as Kyungsoo soared through the air, and the latter shook his head even though it would go unnoticed.

"No, only my brothers. But I have got a girlfriend!"

At this news, Jongin grabbed Kyungsoo's swing seat the next chance he had and brought it to an abrupt stop, nearly launching the older boy off of it. "Really, hyung? What is her name?" he asked with unconcealed excitement, racing round to sit sideways on Kyungsoo's bent legs.

"Wendy," Kyungsoo beamed proudly. "She lives in the same part of town as me. Last week she told me her father was saying something about husbands and she thought I would be a good husband, then she held my hand so we're boyfriend and girlfriend now. Our wedding is next week."

Listening raptly, Jongin's eyes only grew wider with every word, until Kyungsoo had finished and he blurted, "Have you kissed her?"

Immediately, Kyungsoo's mind supplied him with images of the tender kisses his father so often bestowed upon his mother, and his face erupted in redness as he shook his head. "Uh-uh."

"Hyung, it's so fun! I kiss my best friend all the time and it feels really nice. Want to try?" Jongin asked eagerly, his brows raised in anticipation and innocence. 

"Won't I get pregnant?" the older boy questioned cautiously, his hands guarding his mouth just in case Jongin jumped in without asking.

"No, silly hyungie!" Jongin giggled, his hands excitedly tugging Kyungsoo's away from his face. "Only girls can get pregnant. Just close your eyes and I'll do it, I promise it'll make you feel happy."

Nervously, Kyungsoo did as he was told and squeezed his eyes shut, his lips pressed firmly together and practically unreachable. After a few seconds, he felt the slight pressure of Jongin's lips on his closed mouth, though it was gone as quickly as it had come.

"See? What did it feel like?" came Jongin's voice, and Kyungsoo opened his eyes again to see the other boy grinning at him happily.

Jongin was right - it had felt rather nice, so he let a huge smile take over his face and nodded in agreement. "I liked it!"

Not at all noticing the call for the end of the break, Kyungsoo and Jongin continued to chatter on about the joys of kissing and fantasise about playing with skipping ropes, until the sudden, shrill shout of his class tutor had Kyungsoo jumping out of his skin with fear.

Barely having time to register the fact that Jongin was suddenly nowhere to be seen, he raced to class as fast as he possibly could without looking back.

~

Even when he reached eight years old, Kyungsoo's love for his father's gifted star lamp had not at all faded. On one particular night he was propped up against the pillows in his bed, the room completely dark except for the strong glow of the lamp at the end of the bed. As usual, the tiny dots were speckled all across the ceiling and spilled out onto the balcony since the doors were open, but they merely provided a comforting atmosphere as he played with his wooden cars. He should have been sleeping already, but he just wasn't at all tired.

All of a sudden, there came a faint breeze from the open doors and then there was a figure standing on the balcony, one that seemed awfully familiar yet foreign at the same time. As the figure stepped into the bedroom and closer to the hue of the lamp, Kyungsoo saw that it was a boy no older than him, dressed in a peculiar green outfit.

"Hello, Kyungsoo," the boy greeted him as he perched himself at the end of Kyungsoo's bed, one leg folded beneath him.

"How do you know my name?" Kyungsoo asked as he shot the other a puzzled look, though he hadn't stopped playing with his cars.

The boy simply offered him a small, almost sad smile, before speaking again. "My name is Jongin. We can be friends if you like."

"Okay," the shorter shrugged, and he passed one of his favourite cars over to the other boy as an acceptance gift. 

They played together in silence for a long time, time which passed slowly even in Kyungsoo's dream. As he focused on the toys in his hands, the room seemed to drop away just slightly and took the strange boy with it, though he soon came back into view whenever he made the slightest noise. He didn't speak for the longest while, but Kyungsoo could still somehow tell that this boy was so incredibly, unbelievably sad, and he had no idea why.

Eventually, Jongin spoke again after having carefully passed the car back across the bed to Kyungsoo, his gaze now fixed on the makeshift stars decorating the room. "You have your light on again, hyung."

The sentence didn't entirely register in dream Kyungsoo's mind, nor did real Kyungsoo recall it when he woke the next morning, but dream Kyungsoo decided to answer with nothing more than a simple, "yes."

"Have you ever seen real stars?" Jongin asked quietly, his voice sounding far, far to sad for an eight year old boy.

"No," Kyungsoo shrugged, his eyes still fixed on the toys atop his bed covers. "Living in the centre of London, it's almost impossible to see them."

This seemed to silence Jongin for a while and he continued to gaze around the room at the little speckles of light, though his expression was not one of awe or wonder. Just.. sadness. "I could show you," he said finally, lowering his gaze back to a youthful Kyungsoo. The latter had lifted his head in interest, and the two were now gazing over at each other as though waiting for something to happen.

Slowly, slowly, Jongin began to shift up the bed to where Kyungsoo was sitting, his arms carefully lifting until his fingers were resting ever so gently atop the latter's temples. Watching on curiously, Kyungsoo wondered what he was doing, though he stayed quiet and held Jongin's gaze in anticipation.

Then, Jongin slowly closed his eyes, and Kyungsoo's vision erupted with countless stars peppered against a jet black background. He gasped sharply as his eyes flew wide open, trying to take in as much as he possibly could before it all disappeared again. There were so many stars, more than his lamp could ever create, and he could even see little circles of colour that seemed to swirl and rotate slightly, as though they might be filled with life.

"Those are called planets," Jongin's voice seemed to echo within his mind, feeling both far away and right by his side at the same time. Kyungsoo didn't know what the words meant, but he found himself gazing upon the circular objects in wonder as he repeated the word 'planets' quietly to himself.

All too quickly, the image before his very eyes was beginning to crack and dissolve, revealing Jongin sitting before him on his bed again.

"There," the other boy whispered with a melancholy smile, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he opened his eyes again. "Now you've seen real stars."

~

Since he was ten years old, Kyungsoo would no longer attend the boarding school and would have to be taught by a home tutor instead. He didn't particularly mind for there were no friends to leave behind, but it unfortunately meant that he would no longer be able to play with his brothers during the day, who would still be attending the boarding school until they, too, turned ten.

So, Kyungsoo was all by himself in the house (with the exception of staff) on a cold winter afternoon, with nobody at all to play with nor entertain him. He had already been down to the kitchens to bother the cooks and maids, but they had simply batted at him with their cloths and told him to stop being a nuisance.

Now, even though it was only late afternoon, the sun had already gone to sleep for the night and a blanket of darkness had fallen over the town, meaning that Kyungsoo could no longer even go outside and play. Thus, he could be found with his upper body hanging limply over the edge of the balcony with his head resting against the cold stone, flicking his star lamp on and off to see if it could project its stars into the sky. It was bright but not bright enough, for the sky was still pitch black when Kyungsoo looked up.

Out of nowhere, a hand closed around his that was fiddling with the switch, and Kyungsoo startled as he straightened himself up. By his side was the boy he had met just a few weeks ago, the one who dressed in an unusual pair of green pants all the time. They had formed a formidable friendship within just a few days, and Jongin would always come back to play after having been gone for a while.

"Jonginnie," Kyungsoo uttered as he gazed at the other boy curiously, wondering why he had grabbed his hand like that.

"Please, Soo, stop using it," the tanned boy pleaded, his voice quivering in obvious distress as his eyes slid down to the lamp. "The bulb isn't going to last forever."

Worried by Jongin's evident state of anguish, Kyungsoo used his free hand to hold on to Jongin's arm in a comforting gesture, still holding the lamp to use it as a source of light. "Jongin, what do you mean? It won't go out."

"It will, hyung," Jongin argued with a barely audible puff of frustration, his face only growing more pained as he spoke. "That is how bulbs work. They can only hold so much energy, and one day it will stop working and I'll never be able to find you again!"

Startled by the notion of his lamp one day not working, Kyungsoo felt himself begin to get ever so slightly choked up and he tightened his hold on Jongin's arm pleadingly. "Jongin, please—"

Suddenly, the younger encased him in a crushing hug, his arms wrapped as tight as possible around Kyungsoo's small frame and his face buried in the latter's neck. "Just promise me you won't use it so often. Don't ever let it stop working, hyung, not ever or else— else I might not be able to find you again," Jongin begged, taking several slow, shaky breaths in an attempt to calm himself.

Despite his confusion, Kyungsoo ran his hands gently up and down the other male's back in a soothing gesture, pleased to feel Jongin's grip on him eventually loosen a fraction as he relaxed. "I promise, Jongin. I will make it last."

Pushing himself away just slightly to look Kyungsoo in the eyes, Jongin nodded once and sniffed as he wiped his eyes, Kyungsoo only now realising that he had been crying. "Good. Now, hyung, I have to go away for a while.. a long while this time."

Kyungsoo's heart grew a little heavier with these words, but strangely he was starting to get used to it. He would miss Jongin, though, like he always did. "Okay," he replied simply, a part of him wondering why Jongin seemed so upset by everything.

"I just.. I wanted to give you a present before I go," the younger boy said resolutely, waiting until Kyungsoo gave a small, intrigued nod before he did anything more. However, it wasn't at all what Kyungsoo was expecting. 

Before he knew what was happening, Jongin was kissing him.

It was only a peck - a short one at that - but it was filled with all of the love and affection that Jongin held in his heart, the tears that rolled down his cheeks soon mixing in and giving the kiss a hefty pinch of salt.

When Kyungsoo opened his eyes again, Jongin was gone, so he flicked off the star lamp and headed inside.

~

After the night spent with both Luhan and Jongin, Kyungsoo didn't have to wait long at all to see the latter again. In fact, he only had to wait until the following morning.

With aching bones, sluggish movements and eyelids at half mast for the majority of the day, it was safe to say that Kyungsoo was suffering as a result of his inability to sleep the night before. Nevertheless, time ticked by and jobs had to be done, so he was left with no choice but to drag himself out to the tailor's shop, for he was long overdue a fresh pair of pants.

The high street stretched out before him had never seemed so long, but when he wanted nothing more than to drop into bed and sleep the day away, walking all the way to the tailor's felt like an impossible task. It was a shame vehicles were not allowed down here, for he would have much rather let the family chauffeur deposit him just outside the door. It would make for a much quicker trip out, and he could perhaps even have been back in bed by now.

With the space between every blink becoming longer and longer, Kyungsoo might have missed a familiar face giving him a tip of the hat if it were an unlucky day for him. Fortunately, the stars seemed to be on his side, and the sight was enough to have him feeling wide awake in an instant.

"Jongin!" he called cheerfully, whirling around to face the boy who had just passed him so nonchalantly, and he waved with a beaming smile. Jongin stopped dead and whirled around instantly at the call of his name, and Kyungsoo noticed how his eyes grew impossibly wide at the sight of him, almost fearfully so. The yell had earned him several curious looks from passers by, but he ignored them in favour of jogging to meet Jongin half way. "Jongin, what are you doing here? You left before I could even say goodbye the other night."

Even as he spoke, it was clear that the younger boy wasn't really listening. Instead, he was merely staring at Kyungsoo as if he had seen a ghost - sure enough, his usually tanned complexion was paler than ever before and his eyes were as round as golf balls, his lips parted in what appeared to be shock. Blinking, Kyungsoo waved a hand in front of the other's face with a soft chuckle. "Jongin?"

"H-Hyung, you.. you remember me," Jongin breathed with a slight tremble in his voice, his tone more of a question than a statement. Then, all of a sudden something seemed to snap inside of him and he grabbed Kyungsoo's shoulders hard, his words stumbling all over each other in his haste to get them out. "Kyungsoo hyung, you remember me! B-But the curse— You shouldn't have remembered me after-after— hyung, t-the curse must be broken!"

As Jongin babbled on far too fast for anyone to comprehend, Kyungsoo's mind reeled. All the talk about remembering was not the source of his confusion, for he recalled Jongin telling him of the mysterious tendency he had to forget everything between them; instead, he could not fathom what had made Jongin think he would have forgotten already, when it had only been the night before that they met. Surely, neither of them had any reason to think that his memory would have betrayed him already.

"Wait, Jongin." Kyungsoo shook his head with a befuddled frown, his hands finding their way to Jongin's waist in an attempt to steady him. "Stop. Calm down," he ordered the other boy, who, although with laboured breathing and frantic eyes, was now focusing fully on him. Glancing briefly around them, Kyungsoo ushered the younger boy into an empty side street just to their left out of the way of prying eyes. "What are you talking about? What curse?"

Immediately, Jongin leaned in closer, his eyes still extremely wide and his eyebrows almost becoming lost in his curly bangs. "My curse, hyung! You should have forgotten after but- but you didn't and you still recognised me when I passed so that must mean either you broke it or Kris lifted it but either way I have to thank him I- I have to go and show my gratitude right now in case- oh, I can't bear to think- in case he does it again and—"

Even as he broke out of Kyungsoo's hold and began pacing the narrow street from one side to the other, Jongin continued to garble endlessly, but Kyungsoo was no longer listening. Hands dropping to his sides slowly and his lips remaining parted, he desperately tried to comprehend what on earth Jongin could possibly be talking about. Granted, he hadn't known until last night just how ignorant he was to everything around him, but this seemed to go far deeper than he had originally thought; how long was Jongin going to keep the fact that he was cursed to himself? What kind of curse? And who in God's name was this Kris person behind it all?

It was all becoming too much for Kyungsoo and he felt the nerves begin to rise inside of him. "Jongin, please," he called pathetically in his hopes that the other boy would begin explaining everything.

At the sound of his voice, Jongin whirled around and strode right back to him, his eyes so wide he almost looked crazy. "Come with me," he whispered, and even as Kyungsoo felt the fear tingle through his body at the sight of that psychotic gaze, the alarm bells in his mind seemed to fade away as if they were ringing underwater because Jongin's voice was oh so soft and alluring. Before Kyungsoo could form another thought, his mind was no longer in his control and his senses were being invaded by the most unusual sound of countless voices all whispering over one another. His vision slowly ebbed away to reveal sparkling blue sand and crashing waves, with what looked like half human, half fish bodies emerging from the depths of the water every few seconds. After a moment, he felt a tingling feeling in his hand and looked down to find his fingers intertwined with Jongin's, who was gazing back at him fondly as they both faced out on to the water. There wasn't a single person on the beach except for them both, and Kyungsoo was filled with such an astonishing feeling of peace and relief that a large part of him wished he could stay there forever.

All too soon, the stunning view of the pink streaked horizon was dissolving back into the grimy, dull architecture of London city, and Jongin's eyes had softened until he was wearing only a tender expression of exhortation on his face, his hands having fallen to encase Kyungsoo's much like they had done in the illusion. 

"Please, Kyungsoo," Jongin uttered, his tone laced with desperation as he gazed deep into Kyungsoo's eyes imploringly. "Please come with me to Neverland, if only just to say thank you to Kris. Whether you join me or not I promise I will explain everything this time, but I have to go as soon as possible. Just know that I would be delighted if you chose to come with me."

Speckles of turquoise sand and Jongin's radiant smile ebbed and flowed through Kyungsoo's mind fleetingly as he stared right back at the boy before him, and the more he gazed he could see the longing swirling like milk in Jongin's coffee brown eyes. This wasn't just a yearning for him to say yes, this was a yearning for him, for everything Kyungsoo had to offer and he knew that a simple affirmative would change the both of their lives forever.

As the hope in every muscle on Jongin's face began to diminish like the fire inside him was extinguishing, a niggling voice in the depths of Kyungsoo's heart asked him just what exactly he had to lose; he was a boy, a man with a job for which he could ascertain his enjoyment no more than he could wiping dung from the bottom of his shoes, and nobody to care for except two brothers and a perfectly handsome stranger he met one night at a masquerade ball. Nobody would miss him if he were to suddenly disappear - in time, he would simply dissipate from the lives of all those around him like an old and insignificant memory, with nothing spectacular to keep it tied safely within the minds of those who encountered it.

"On one condition," Kyungsoo firmly answered the young boy whose happiness rested entirely in his hands. Jongin made no sound nor movement as he waited for Kyungsoo's term, almost as if he feared that the older would never look him in the eyes again if he dared object. "My brothers must join us."

~

A long time ago, when his face still held a youthful glow and all the plumpness of his youngest years had yet to slim away, Kyungsoo loved listening to his father read a new fairy tale with every rising moon. From Snow White to Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard to Rumpelstiltskin, he was no stranger to the everlasting 'once upon a time', and the innocent notion of a 'happily ever after' never failed to leave the feeling of catharsis pumping through his soul.

Kyungsoo could tell you, however, that fairy tales were not quite as peaceful as they may sound. At that age, one needn't have known of the crushing turmoil that embedded itself within the caverns of the protagonist's mind, for damsels were expected to remain spineless and submissive in the company of their superiors. Vegetative, as it were. 

On the contrary, his fairy tale was to present itself a little differently as he was not at all spineless and submissive, nor was Jongin an oppressive knight asserting his dominance wherever he wished. Though they belonged to two different worlds, they were equals, and they would remain so even as they forced their worlds to collide, whatever the cost.

Breaking the news to Sehun and Zitao had been far less painful than Kyungsoo had expected - after thoroughly scrutinising Jongin's ability to transport them all to a land so foreign that it should not exist (at which point Kyungsoo had been unable to keep his own curiosity at bay) the two youngest brothers had rejoiced at the thought of visiting Jongin's homeland.

Despite him refusing to tell them just how it would be done, Kyungsoo trusted him.

Which was how the three brothers found themselves sitting in a circle with their legs crossed, hands clasped tightly together and eyes closed with Jongin connecting them all. There was no light to illuminate Kyungsoo's bedroom except the soft glow of two candlesticks on either side of his bed, but the intense apprehension in his entire being was enough for him to feel as though he had night vision. Eyes snapping open and darting across the circle every now and then, he watched how Jongin's toned chest gradually rose and fell every few seconds, the level of concentration visible in the downward pull of his eyebrows.

"This will not work if you don't have your eyes closed, hyung." Jongin's voice suddenly echoed through the silence of the room and startled Kyungsoo, who was shocked to find the younger boy staring right at him. Clearing his throat quietly, Kyungsoo obediently closed his eyes once more, allowing his chest to expand as he willed himself to relax.

"That's better," Jongin whispered, his hand squeezing gently around Kyungsoo's where they joined the circle. "Open your minds to me, let me in.."

Slowly but surely, shapes began to manifest in the darkness behind Kyungsoo's eyelids even as they remained closed, meanings and colours gradually dripping into the familiar structures of trees, birds, flowers and his brothers, the four of them still sitting in a circle. It was so certainly impossible, yet not a single part of Kyungsoo could argue that this wasn't real.

As his senses came to, the world around him became heightened; letting go of Jongin and Sehun's hands, he allowed his own to tangle immediately in the shards of bright green grass beneath him, wet with the dewiness of the evening air. He was sure it had been midday outside his bedroom window just a moment ago, but as he looked over the shoulders of his brothers there was no denying the stunning pink and purple hues of dusk on the horizon between the trees.

"Where on earth are we?" the eldest brother breathed, completely in awe of everything that he could see. He needn't have really asked, for there was something deep down within him that was screaming the answer to his question, so much so that he would not have even dared argue with it.

"This isn't Earth. It's Neverland," Jongin whispered so nonchalantly that it almost seemed absurd, except his voice felt so far away as the brothers stared in absolute wonder around them.

"Is this just all in my head? Surely it is." Sehun's voice, sounding almost as nerve wracked as Kyungsoo felt.

This time, an obviously amused snort preceded Jongin's words. "Course it isn't, silly," he responded, his choice of words one which may have earned him a look of pure dismay if Sehun weren't so preoccupied with catching his brain up to his senses. "I showed you an illusion of Neverland when we held hands in the circle so your souls knew where to go."

Now that he truly took in everything, Kyungsoo realised that he was surrounded by an apparently endless depth of trees, so dense that the far distance would have been completely black if it weren't for the tiny, golden moving sparkles between the trunks. 

"What are those?" Pointing towards the little glowing lights amongst the trees, he squinted and craned his neck forward a little in a futile attempt to see better, but he wasn't quite certain that his brain would believe whatever it may see.

It was only now that Jongin came back into focus, the tanned boy following Kyungsoo's outstretched finger over his shoulder and through the gap in the trees behind them. For a short moment he did not respond, until he eventually turned back to face Kyungsoo and his brothers with one of the cheekiest grins they had ever seen on his face. "Those are fairies, of course!"

It was at this point that it was safe to say one needn't have known Jongin's story to know that this was his place of origin, for everything was so perfectly normal to him that even the notion of fairies brought nothing more than a faint glimmer to his eyes. Meanwhile, Kyungsoo and his brothers remained fixated on the golden pops of light, almost completely unable to fathom how there could be that many fairies in existence. Meeting Dae had been one thing, but this was an entirely other concept.

Hopping to his feet so lightly that not even a single leaf crunched, Jongin crossed one ankle behind the other in a sort of curtsy with one hand tucked neatly behind his back and the other outstretched, fingers falling gracefully in Kyungsoo's direction.

"You might stop saying 'of course', for it isn't 'of course' at all," Kyungsoo grumbled lowly as he took the offered hand, using Jongin's strength as leverage to heave himself up from the unusually soft forest floor. Despite there not being a single drop of water in sight, the ground was so tender that it felt the way one might imagine walking on clouds to feel, and Kyungsoo feared for a moment that he may simply fall straight through the grass.

Helping his brothers up in turn, Kyungsoo ignored the tugging on his arm until they were all on their feet and ready to move together, all doing so at Jongin's impatient request. "It's Neverland, hyung, anything is possible," he murmured matter-of-factly as he tugged the elder along. "Now, come on! We have to find my brothers."

"..Wait, you have brothers?"

~

Walking into Jongin's home was like walking into the eye of a storm. It was dizzying, frightening and electrifying all at once, for each person was like their own separate tornado with enough force to drain Kyungsoo and his brothers of all their energy in an instant.

Jongin had graciously tried to warn them, but he failed to portray just how intense his brothers, and also his countless friends, really were.

"They know that we're coming," he had explained on their way through the dense forest earlier on. "Luhan will have read my mind already, I'm sure."

Far sooner than Kyungsoo had expected, the trees had broken apart and petered out onto a beach exactly like the one in his vision before, except the experience in his mind was not at all powerful enough to show how beautifully the pink and orange hues on the horizon complimented the dazzling blue sand. 

It was unlike anything he had ever seen; the sand glistened just like any other kind he had seen, but it was so intense that he could almost see his own reflection by his feet, and together with the colour it made it seem like the ocean was never-ending. Amongst the jewels and sparkles of the water, needle sized heads emerged from the ripples every now and then before seemingly ducking back under, endless shades of incredibly long locks following behind.

Before Kyungsoo could even register the fact that those were real mermaids, his attention was tugged to one side along with his arm, courtesy of Jongin leading him further along the beachfront but never quite on to the sand. Slowly, a wooden building came in to view on the very edge of the water, where the sand began to disappear and there was only the house separating the forest from the water. 

"Whoa!" came an exclamation from behind them that undoubtedly belonged to Zitao. Unable to tear his own eyes from the structure, Kyungsoo could only guess that the third brother was just as speechless as himself. 

It was truly an unbelievable sight - the building (which Kyungsoo guessed was where Jongin lived) seemed to exist both in the water and out of it, although it was built into and surrounding a series of trees in the last row of the forest. Bigger than any structure Kyungsoo had ever laid eyes upon, it possessed so much character that one could not decide where to look first without fear of missing all it had to offer.

Walkways and balconies connected the different sections of the house at various levels far up above their heads, with vines and cherry blossoms appearing to support the construction and hold it all together. Even just from the outside, Kyungsoo could see hammocks and rope swings and hanging chairs in a number of locations all over, with gigantic holes in the tree trunks acting as balcony windows of sorts and allowing warm, golden light to flood out of the home. At the very top of it all, the tree tops seemed to bend towards each other to form a dome like shape, creating an enclosed yet completely open space almost like a rooftop. 

The closer they got, the stunned male also realised that it was in fact all made out of wood, every single inch, leaving him perplexed as to how such a fragile material could hold so much weight.

However, Jongin did not allow the three brothers much time to ponder over the countless wonders of his house, and hastened to usher them all up a tall, winding staircase to the front door. This in itself was a spectacle, with blossoms framing the huge wooden doors and a giant chestnut conker posing as a door knocker.

What lay beyond, however, was an experience far more intense than Kyungsoo had ever known. 

The second Jongin had cracked open the enormous doors, a cacophony of voices flooded out to greet them and Kyungsoo was immediately stunned, as a seemingly endless swarm of bodies were now pushing and shoving each other in a kind of childlike desperation. Hands of all different sizes were grappling at Kyungsoo's garments, which was still his usual suit. At this point, he vaguely registered that he had lost his top hat somewhere along the journey, though he had a feeling it was perhaps back in London somewhere.

As Jongin finally managed to push the door open all the way, it became clear that these people were all young yet of varying ages, and Kyungsoo spotted just as many girls as boys. It also crossed his mind that the various bodies behind the door were all wearing the sorts of clothes Kyungsoo had only ever seen in the books he and his brothers read when they were children; from tribal clothes to pirate style outfits, the boys - and girls, he noted - were all dressed in the most peculiar garments, and he suddenly felt as though he and his brothers were incredibly out of place.

Of course, all of these thoughts passed through him for no longer than a second, for the energy radiating from the frantic strangers did not allow more than a fleeting moment of distraction.

"Hey, hey!" Jongin bellowed over the noise of his countless companions, and the voices ceased immediately. "Let them get through the damn door first, at least," he added in a tone of sheer exasperation. It was intriguing, for this did not seem like the uneducated street urchin that Kyungsoo often, albeit guiltily, saw in Jongin. Instead, standing by his side was a man with enough power to silence others with a single command, who clearly held the respect of everyone in this room. There was no doubt that Jongin was in charge here, for the tight group of bodies immediately shuffled backwards (although not without a few of them tripping over one another, Kyungsoo noticed).

At Jongin's beckoning, Kyungsoo and his brothers stepped cautiously inside the house.

"Where is Luhan?" Jongin asked, and a small boy closest to him answered.

"He is in his chambers, I think!" the boy chirped, bouncing ever so slightly on the balls of his feet. His heavy lidded eyes shone as he gazed up at Jongin with unmistakeable admiration, and Kyungsoo silently wondered how old he was. "He told us all you were coming."

Humming lowly in grave acknowledgement, Jongin's eyes met Kyungsoo's and he smiled faintly. "Of course he did," he murmured, almost as though this was some kind of inside joke between himself and Kyungsoo. The latter wasn't sure what exactly the punch line was, but it didn't seem to matter considering Jongin had already changed the subject. Lowering his gaze back down to the boy standing before them, he ruffled the younger's dusty blonde hair affectionately. "Go on then. Introduce yourself."

The boy's eyes lit up immediately, but he stayed close to Jongin's side even as he turned to address Kyungsoo. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Kyungsoo! My name is Yixing and I made you a bracelet!" With this, he presented the stunned London boy with a tiny circle of intertwined leaves that had been weaved together to make a bracelet, rich with the greens of the forest. Even at first glance, Kyungsoo could see that it would be far too small to fit on his wrist, but it was the thought that counted.

"Thank you ever so much, Yixing. This is such a kind gesture," he beamed, and the boy's face mirrored the dazzling smile.

Sehun and Tao, who had been silently watching the whole proceedings, stepped forwards and peered down at the boy hopefully, who cowered slightly behind Jongin's midriff. "Oh, I-I only made one."

Snorting softly, Jongin shot the brothers a look of mirth and promptly ignored their twin scowls. "Come on," he said with a hand on Kyungsoo's back to gently guide him through the many people, leaving the young boy behind. "Yixing is one of the longest to have stayed here, but he's only ten right now," he explained as they went, and Kyungsoo made a small sound of acknowledgment. At least now his question had been answered.

Every young person that they passed as they moved further into the house would bow graciously and introduce themselves, providing Jongin hadn't already done it for them.

"This is Lisa, from Thailand and Jennie, who's Korean," he informed the brothers as they passed two beautiful girls standing close together, both of them with shy smiles on their lips and eyes like those of a doe. They might have been just a few years younger than Kyungsoo himself, and when he nodded his head to them with a polite smile they exploded in girlish giggles. Again, Jongin breathed a faint laugh from his nose, though just loud enough for Kyungsoo to hear.

"Jongin!" two girls chorused as they bounded up to Jongin's side, their eyes firmly fixed on Kyungsoo despite the name they had called. Both wore their hair in matching high pig tails, and were adorned in twin lacy white dresses.

"Momo, Sana," Jongin greeted them, effectively introducing them at the same time. The girls were silent, simply staring at Kyungsoo and his brothers in awe and slowly backing away before they ran off again. "Both Japanese, twelve years old," Jongin added once they had gone.

"How are there so many people here?" Kyungsoo asked, confused as to how so many young children could live in one house. "And why is everyone from different countries?"

Raising a brow, Jongin shot Kyungsoo a tiny smirk. "You haven't worked it out?" And when Kyungsoo shook his head in bemusement, he explained with the tone of someone who might simply be describing the weather. "They are all lost souls who have wandered too far in their dreams, travelled beyond their own imaginations. They cannot find their way back to themselves, so they become trapped here. Kris..." Kyungsoo looked over at the tanned male when he paused for a moment. Jongin's brows had knitted together slightly, but he carried on. "Kris traps them. He could show them the way if he wanted to, but he doesn't. But they don't know that."

"Why only children?" Kyungsoo asked, though it was far from the most pressing question he had after what Jongin had said.

"Children's imaginations are far more colourful than any adult's. It isn't unheard of, but it is rare for adults to have such a vivid dream that they become lost."

"And we.. we came here to meet this 'Kris' person, correct?" Kyungsoo responded, suddenly not completely enthused about the idea of facing this man. "To thank him for.. something?"

"He won't hurt you," was Jongin's resolute answer, his voice hushed but firm and determined. "I won't let him."

Before Kyungsoo could think about meeting Kris any longer, his attention was snatched away by two boys who looked around his own age jogging down the stairs to their left, the two of them playfully shoving each other with wide grins. Coming to a stop in front of them, one of the boys spoke just as Jongin opened his mouth. "Ah, no you don't," said one of the teens, effectively cutting Jongin off and taking over the introductions, and Kyungsoo realised with a start that it was a girl. To his dismay, his mind was instantly swarming with thoughts of what the people of London would say if a girl wore her hair that short.

"The name's Amber," the girl said without taking any notice of the shock on Kyungsoo's face, though the gentle bump to his hip told him that Jongin had indeed seen. "And this is my brother, Henry," Amber went on, elbowing the grinning boy beside her and promptly starting yet another play fight.

Shaking his head in amusement, Jongin once again guided Kyungsoo with a hand to the small of his back. "The rough kids, ladies and gentleman," he mused playfully, earning him a yell of protest from the two fighting siblings.

"Nice to meet you, Kyungsoo! Ha!" Amber yelled, and Kyungsoo watched in amazement as she tackled her brother to the ground.

Sucking in a breath, Jongin stated plainly, "California born," and Kyungsoo nodded slowly as if that explained everything. As far as he had heard, the far west was even more rigid than London.

As they made their way past the siblings and on to the large wooden staircase the two had just come down, Kyungsoo spared a glance over his shoulder only to notice that his brothers were no longer trailing behind. "Where did—" he began, just as his eyes fell on said brothers over the other side of the room, being led quite forcefully by a chattering Minseok into what was presumably a kitchen of sorts (if the delicious smells floating in from that direction were anything to go by). The soft chortle that came from Jongin's lips was enough for Kyungsoo to know that his brothers were, for the most part, in safe hands. "I'll find them later," he murmured dismissively and continued to follow Jongin up the stairs.

Every step beneath their feet creaked and protested, but it was an ironically comforting sound to Kyungsoo's ears. Evidently, the house still in some ways held the makings of a home one might be more familiar with - the structure still carried the whispers of an indefinite history, in which it had undoubtedly been cherished and used as much as it was now, and the cherry blossom vines that hugged the bannister instilled an intrinsic feeling of tranquility.

It wasn't until Jongin had led him up the stairs and over a short walkway exposed to the elements that Kyungsoo met another unfamiliar face, this time a young boy with sandy blonde hair dangling his legs over the edge of the room, where there was nothing but a railing to separate him from the ground far far below. Just looking at his precarious position had Kyungsoo feeling terribly uneasy, particularly as the boy looked so incredibly sad. However, Jongin's lack of immediate response was somewhat calming.

"That's Felix," the younger said after a brief moment of silence, his voice hushed and carrying a tender tone to it. "He's twelve, Australian. He just found his way here yesterday, so he's pretty shaken up at the moment. He's been wandering Neverland for weeks on his own, not a clue how to get back home. It broke him to find out he'll never return."

A soft breath of realisation escaped Kyungsoo's lips. Now he understood why the boy seemed so sad; he would undoubtedly feel the same if he suddenly found himself trapped in a land that was not only foreign, but of an entirely different universe.. or so he assumed.

As Kyungsoo and Jongin passed silently by, the former watched as a young woman, though clearly much older than the two of them, sat down beside the boy and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into her body comfortingly.

"I thought you said only children were lost here?" Kyungsoo asked in a soft whisper, his eyes still fixed on the intimate scene before him.

"I said adults were rarely lost here," Jongin corrected gently, a hand on Kyungsoo's back guiding said boy once more through the house. "Song Qian is the oldest here, a woman of twenty eight years. She's like our mother."

The tenderness in Jongin's tone as he talked of her was enough to tell Kyungsoo how much the woman meant to him, and it didn't take much to believe that she was indeed the maternal figure for all of the children here. He wondered if it was a heavy burden to carry, or if she settled naturally into the role. By the looks of things so far, he leaned more towards the latter.

The final flight of stairs leading up to their destination was smaller than the last, more intimate in a strange kind of way. It was only a staircase after all, but there was an unusual atmosphere as though there was something uncomfortable and chilling waiting for them above.

The feeling grew heavier in tandem with the weight of Jongin's hand on his back, and he could feel in the younger man's touch the building tension and reluctance. Every instinct was telling Kyungsoo to turn and run from whatever awaited them, but something was stopping him. Was it Jongin's presence by his side? The trust he had in Jongin's promise not to let Kris hurt him? Or maybe it was a stubborn determination to face this man and see if he was really as bad as the younger had made out, or if he was simply another one of the land's peaceful residents.

No.

As soon as the two of them stepped into the dark, foreboding room at the top of the stairs, Kyungsoo knew Kris was no regular habitant.

The room was fairly empty of furniture; only a throne-like chair stood in the middle atop a vast tribal rug, vines twisting along the body of the chair and quite literally rooting it into the floorboards.

An enormous, stained glass window cast a long stream of light across the room from where the sun was still gradually setting on the horizon, the brightness of the huge star framing silhouettes of two figures in front of the window. Even with their bodies shrouded in complete darkness, one could not miss the way the taller of the two had the other's head pulled back by the hair in a way that could not at all have been comfortable.

"I thought I told you to stay in your quarters."

An eerily calm yet firm voice cut through the darkness of the room. This was a voice that need not have shouted to intimidate.

By Kyungsoo's side, Jongin was perfectly still. There was only a hand searching blindly for Kyungsoo's own to confirm his presence, the two of them both staring fixedly at the silhouettes.

"Let my brother go," Jongin said, doing well to keep the shaking from his voice.

There was a silence, in which none of the four moved a muscle, before the other spoke again. "You dare to bring a human into my world? Into this room?"

Kyungsoo felt Jongin stiffen as his own blood ran cold. Even left unspoken, the consequences for his being here seemed all too ominous.

"I sincerely apologise for disturbing you, but—"

Abruptly cut off by a loud, pained yelp, Kyungsoo fell silent as the taller figure knocked the other aside forcefully by his hair, only to stride out of the light and towards the two standing by the entrance. The second he stepped out of the sun's glaring rays, Kyungsoo's breath caught in his throat.

The man, who by now he presumed to be Kris, stood at least a head taller than Kyungsoo himself and even surpassed Jongin. Although he was undeniably handsome, his thick, black eyebrows, his straight set lips and his piercing eyes left no room to doubt the dangerous level of power he possessed.

Over by the window, the other body remained doubled over in pain, seemingly clutching his hair where it had been ragged. As the male stifled a whimper, Kyungsoo noticed Jongin take a step forward as though making to go over. A single, deadly glance from Kris had his foot returning to its original place.

Kris' knife-like gaze now back on Kyungsoo, the latter dared not breathe a single word.

"Why did you bring him?" Kris questioned, his tone making it more of a threat than an enquiry. Sensing that the question was not for him, Kyungsoo remained silent.

Jongin seemed to remain perfectly calm, even as his eyes strayed over to his brother as he spoke. "I wanted to thank you," he started, emphasising the words that made clear he was partially regretting the decision, "for breaking it. The curse."

Once again, Kyungsoo was left wondering what on Earth this rumoured curse was. Clearly it was something to do with himself, yet he had absolutely no idea as to what it could entail. He made a mental note to ask Jongin about it when they were alone again, for now was certainly not the time.

Although unsure of what he was expecting, Kris' reaction surprised Kyungsoo. He threw back his head and laughed. It was the most haunting laugh he had ever heard, one that was dripping with sarcasm and disbelief, the malice within it amplified as the sound reverberated around the almost hollow room.

"You thought I broke the curse?" Kris asked, his voice laced with animosity as his laughter began to die away. Even as the bitter smile remained on his lips, his eyes narrowed and directed nothing but hatred Jongin's way. "What made you think you deserved such a kindness? What exactly have you done to earn a reward from me?"

For a moment, there was silence. Kyungsoo would have been a fool to have thought Kris was truly expecting an answer; it was painfully obvious that he wanted nothing but for his words to slash Jongin's skin like a cracked whip, and Kyungsoo was feeling every gash along with him. With the trembling hand squeezing his own tighter and tighter, he needn't have looked over at Jongin to see his fresh, bleeding wounds.

"You're lucky you're still accepted into this house, boy," Kris spat, his voice low and dangerous. There was merely an inch gap between his and Jongin's foreheads now. "You will never deserve such liberties from me. You're worth nothing, do you hear me? Nothing."

Even as his whole body shuddered and quivering breaths escaped him, Jongin's eyes remained locked on Kris'.

Given the tanned boy's behaviour upon approaching the room, this was not the first time something like this had happened. The way that Jongin's brother remained cowering in the corner, unable to gather enough courage to intervene, also showed as much. And, undeniably as it was how much power Kris possessed, something told Kyungsoo that this wouldn't be the last time, either.

Kris' eyes lingering on the two for just a moment longer, Kyungsoo felt the resentment scold his skin before the taller man was turning away, his broad figure blending with the shadows. "You may stay for two days. Now, get out of my sight."

At least, this time, they had left unscathed.


	2. Two

The silence that followed them leaving the uppermost room of the house was excruciatingly deafening, yet charged with so much tension and anger that, still, Kyungsoo dared not shatter it. Jongin may certainly have been trembling under the dark, looming shadow of Kris' power, but it was without a doubt that it was now nothing except hatred and anger that shook his bones, a resentment so strong that Kyungsoo knew the boy would lash out at anyone who crossed his path now.

A door clicked shut and footsteps echoed as someone hurriedly descended the steps leading up to the room they had just left, and Kyungsoo was surprised to find Jongin's brother stumbling to catch up with them, his brows pulled together in obvious concern and his lips parted ready to call. 

"Jongin," the boy called, but said male continued walking with a determined stride, Kyungsoo lagging back slightly in a feeble attempt to coax Jongin into listening. "Nini, wait—"

No more needed to be said before Jongin was whirling back around with an expression like none Kyungsoo had ever seen on his face, advancing on his brother so fast that the other nearly tripped in his haste to stop before they collided, his eyes blown wide with so much shock that Kyungsoo couldn't help but feel for him in some way.

"How can you let him treat you like that? Huh?" Jongin cried, hurt strangling his voice. "How in Hell can you even stand to be in the same chambers as him when he possesses such violence and terror?"

"Jongin..." said boy's elder sibling began meekly, though Jongin's raging voice swiftly cut him off.

"Tell me, brother, how many times has he grabbed you by the hair like that? How many times has he hurt you in such a way? Huh?"

Glancing at the elder pitifully, Kyungsoo could see crystal clear in his swirling orbs that he knew Jongin was right, knew he deserved better. It seemed, however, that love was more powerful than this.

"Nini, please..."

But Jongin wasn't finished. His brother's failure to give an adequate reply had only fuelled his fire, his rage simmering down to an angry, bubbling mess of feelings as his lips curled at the corners, his eyes wandering to where he was undoubtedly rewatching the harsh treatment of his sibling. "He is a tyrant, Junmyeon, a monster, the devil himself—"

"Jongin!" The voice of Jongin's brother — Junmyeon, Kyungsoo noted — was sharp this time, cutting off the younger's cursing in an instant. "God only knows what will happen if he hears you speaking of him like that so, for the sake of your own life, do not dare use that language again!"

Junmyeon's expression was stern and scolding as he spoke, not a trace of fear or guilt left in his features. It was clear how much he cared about his younger brother, and Kyungsoo silently agreed that it was certainly in his best interests when Jongin was using such blasphemous language.

With a tired, defeated sigh, Jongin let his eyes close for a moment before meeting the other's gaze again. "You know I am right, brother. Please, just... be careful."

Junmyeon did not reply, but a look passed between the two which Kyungsoo would never be able to understand, for it was a look that only they, as brothers, were familiar with. 

The tension eased, however, and lifted completely when Jongin released another heavy sigh. And without a single look in Kyungsoo's direction, as though he had almost forgotten the latter were there, he turned and began to head into a part of the house that Kyungsoo had not yet seen. "I'll be in my chambers."

~

For a while, Kyungsoo and his companion's brother simply stood together, both lost in their thoughts and forgetting the presence of another.

After what seemed like forever, Junmyeon spoke. "Let us find you some chambers of your own, shall we?" he suggested, his gaze meeting Kyungsoo's.

Said male blinked, the sound of a voice pulling him back to the present and he nodded, falling into step beside the older when he began to walk. Walking in reasonably comfortable silence, they made their way back over the connecting part of the house where Kyungsoo had previously seen little Felix, though the open room was now void of anyone else.

"Are you sure it is alright?" Kyungsoo asked quietly just as the thought came to him. "Perhaps I could sleep on the living sofas with my brothers. We are guests, after all."

"Kyungsoo, you need not be so modest. You deserve as much comfort as the rest of us," Junmyeon countered politely. "Besides, it isn't as though we do not have rooms to spare."

It was awfully polite of the older given that they were hardly even acquaintances at this time, yet Kyungsoo could only wonder how Junmyeon knew of his name. When he asked as such, the elder's gaze slid briefly over to him, a faint, albeit lacklustre smile pulling at his lips.

"My brother speaks of you often here, very often indeed. You are the boy who lives where we can no longer go, the boy with a loving family and a wonderful house, the one he has spent his life watching and now spends his every precious moment with." The weight and sincerity of Junmyeon's words surprised Kyungsoo considerably, though it was the elder's next words that stole his breath. "You are the one my brother loves, Kyungsoo, with all his heart."

For a moment, Kyungsoo could not breathe. He had heard the words before from Jongin himself, of course, but it was so different from hearing someone so close to Jongin confirm it. Fleetingly, his mind argued that they had barely known each other for more than several days, though it soon reminded him of one of the last conversations he and Jongin had before coming to Neverland.

"We met before when we were both younger. This isn't the first time you've forgotten me."

"He loves me," Kyungsoo echoed. Even saying the words himself felt strange, but he was gradually beginning to believe them. "But he cannot give himself to me because of a curse?" 

With a soft sigh, as though he had been waiting for this topic of conversation to eventually emerge, Suho nodded with a grave expression. "Exactly, the curse. I suppose Jongin brought you here under the impression that Kris had lifted it, but..." He paused, and something strange crossed his features. A flicker of pain, though there seemed to be some hatred laced deep within. "He will never."

There was silence for a while as they continued to walk, Kyungsoo barely noticing that the wooden walls on either side of him had become unfamiliar. "This curse... it has something to do with my forgetfulness," he assumed, half statement, half questioning.

"It is more than that." Junmyeon replied, his gaze heavy on the side of Kyungsoo's face. There was a deep slither of something akin to guilt in his eyes, except Kyungsoo could not understand why this might be. "You have forgotten Jongin many times before, though you haven't the first idea why. What is it that makes you forget? Your brothers have told you of so many moments you've shared with Jongin, perhaps you even felt something more than friendship for him when you met this time again. There are remnants of a past with him, are there not? Except you cannot figure out why you fail to remember."

The more he spoke, the more irked Kyungsoo began to feel. It was all so cryptic, for it was clear that Junmyeon knew more than he was allowing the younger to hear. Unable to keep the thread of irritation from his tone, Kyungsoo challenged the older. "If you know the reason, why do you refuse to tell me?"

After a long while, Junmyeon's gaze slid back to the corridor stretched out before them, and he came to a stop at a rather tall door on their left. "It is not my place to tell you. The curse is Jongin's to battle, something he fights every day and will always fight until Kris ever shows mercy, but the possibility is infinitesimal." His eyes returning to the door before them, he curled a hand around the knob and pushed it open, hesitating to speak before allowing Kyungsoo inside. "Only one thing is certain. It is all my fault."

With that, he gave Kyungsoo one last look before backing away and disappearing down the long corridor, leaving the latter to stare after him in a state of even worse confusion than before.

~

It was not for hours later that Kyungsoo saw anyone close enough to converse with, though he could see lights flickering in a far away part of the house through his open window. The sun had set around an hour ago, and the section below was lit up in a warm golden hue from suspected candlelight, the sound of chatter and laughter drifting up through the open windows to Kyungsoo's lonely chambers.

Given a choice, he would have ventured down to the source of the sound and joined the lively party, but he couldn't even begin to navigate his way through the house when he did not remember a single part of it that he and Junmyeon had walked. It was a maze, a vast collection of endless open spaces and narrow corridors all connecting with one another, like the intricate workings of an ant mound that only those of great familiarity could understand.

Not more than several hours ago, Kyungsoo had decided that he must have been given one of the more spectacular rooms and, with an entertaining sense of hopefulness that Sehun and Zitao had not been given such luxury, he felt rather smug with the arrangement.

Elevated just slightly by a wooden platform, the enormous four poster bed was reminiscent of Kyungsoo's chambers back at home, with curtains which draped glamorously around the headboard. It faced a beautifully grand fireplace, though Kyungsoo dared not light it considering that the entire house seemed to be infused with wooden structures. Nevertheless, it made for a wonderful centrepiece, and the chaise longue in the corner of the room complimented it perfectly.

It was a bedroom fit for a king, and Kyungsoo could almost imagine he was residing in Buckingham Palace, if it weren't for the vines seemingly climbing in through the windows; there were no cracks nor gaps, however, providing enough of a reminder that they were, indeed, in a place far, far away from London.

Right now, on the other hand, Kyungsoo was beginning to wonder whether it was as wonderful as he had first assumed. After all, one could only admire the upholstery for so long.

Just as he was wondering whether or not to venture out of the room and attempt to follow the noise, there came a gentle knock on the door, one that suggested tiny hands and a calm demeanour. A familiar head of dirty blonde hair popped into the room, the rest of Yixing appearing a second later as he stepped into the room.

"Good evening, Mister Kyungsoo. Would you like to come down and join the party?" he asked, a dimpled smile playing gently on his lips.

"There is a party?" Kyungsoo replied, his eyebrows raising with interest.

As the older male followed him out of the door, Yixing paused for a moment until they fell into step beside each other. "Well, it is more of a small celebration, and a banquet," he amended with a cheeky shrug of his shoulders.

"What are you celebrating?" Kyungsoo asked, only half concentrating as he peered around them in confusion. This corridor was definitely different to the one he had been in earlier with Junmyeon; he could tell as much from the wall paintings, for they had been flowers the first time, and now they were human portraits. Glancing back over his shoulder, he mentally confirmed that the door was the same. Was it possible that the magic of the house extended to its doorways?

"You, of course, and your brothers," Yixing replied in a matter-of-fact tone, capturing Kyungsoo's attention again. "We are celebrating your arrival, considering it was so greatly anticipated."

Just then, they seemed to arrive at the desired room as Yixing led him towards a set of vast double doors. As soon as he cracked one open, the joyous sounds of laughter, chatter and music spilled out and filled the surrounding area, making it almost impossible for one to not want to join the fun.

No sooner had Kyungsoo stepped inside and a familiar, mischievous face was by his side, smile blindingly bright and eyes sparkling. "Kyungsoo, finally! Whatever took you so long?"

"Luhan," Kyungsoo breathed in a tone that sounded rather perplexed, perhaps infected by the overwhelmingly busy scene before him.

Two enormous crescent shaped tables were arranged to form a full circle around the room, with small gaps in between for people to reach the hollow middle. In said middle, children danced wildly to the folk music that filled the air whilst others at the tables clapped and hollered. The whole scene made up the foreground of a stunning twilight backdrop, as the room seemingly opened out onto a huge balcony illuminated by fireflies, from which the stars could be seen for light years.

"Jongin is outside," came a soft whisper that interrupted Kyungsoo's thoughts, and he flashed Luhan a grateful smile over his shoulder.

As he stepped over the threshold onto the balcony, he noticed that they were not fireflies as he had first guessed, but thousands of fairies, just like Dae, glowing as they sat idly along the fencing.

Just as Luhan had said, Jongin sat on the very edge of the balcony, his legs dangling between the stakes and his back to the party. Wordlessly, Kyungsoo closed the space between them and sat down beside the other, letting his legs hang in just the same way.

"Hello," he said, his voice not reaching above a whisper.

Jongin's eyes met his at that, and a fond smile settled on his plump lips. "Hello, you."

"You must have been thinking hard," Kyungsoo commented, his voice remaining low as his gaze fell upon Jongin's hand, splayed out over the wooden flooring between them. "I could smell something burning from my room."

His features scrunched up in amusement as laughter spilled from Jongin's lips, relief flooding over him at the sight of that carefree smile.

"You're rotten," Jongin retorted playfully, his hand finding Kyungsoo's in the space between their thighs. Eventually, his smile relaxed as he calmed once more, his eyes roaming Kyungsoo's face for a moment before he turned back to look at the stars. "I just wish I knew a way out, hyung," he sighed, and Kyungsoo's heart beat selfishly at the fond expression, "but there is none that I can see. My brother is trapped, and the worst is that I'm beginning to think he is even more trapped than me."

A deep frown creased Kyungsoo's forehead as he struggled to keep up with what he did not understand, but all he could do was lay his free hand comfortingly upon Jongin's shoulder. After a moment, he spoke. "Who is he, Jongin? Who is Kris?"

With yet another soft sigh, Jongin leaned in to drop the softest of kisses on Kyungsoo's cheek, one which instantly stole his breath away. "I will tell you, my love. But, please, let us eat first."

With a nod from Kyungsoo, Jongin pulled them both to their feet and draped an arm lazily around the elder's shoulders. "They have some incredible food on the tables tonight."

True to Jongin's words, Kyungsoo returns inside to find dishes upon dishes of lavish food lining the tables, which were nearly entirely full except for two spare seats in between Luhan and Junmyeon. Making his way over, Kyungsoo noticed his brothers seated to the left of Luhan, with Zitao conversing enthusiastically with the aforementioned blonde. True to form, Sehun's head was bent low over his plate as he all but devoured the food on offer.

Breaking conversation for just a moment, Luhan beckoned to the two approaching males. "Jongin, Kyungsoo! Come sit! Baekhyun has done the most brilliant job with the banquet."

Courteously pulling Kyungsoo's chair out from the table for him, Jongin scanned the cuisine with a furrowed brow. It was only in that moment that Kyungsoo realised he was surrounded by cooked snails, 'coq au vin' and many other traditionally French foods, along with chocolate soufflé presumably for dessert. 

"Baekhyun, why are there frogs' legs on the table?" Jongin enquired with a heavy trace of wariness in his tone. "Kyungsoo and his brothers are from London, England."

A short, chocolate brown haired boy with some kind of meat dish in his hands stopped where he was just approaching the table, his eyes wide as he stared at Jongin. "What?" the boy called Baekhyun blurted, his voice bordering on panicked. "I thought you said they were French!"

Ducking his head so as not to get involved, Kyungsoo heard a laugh escape Jongin's lips before said male slid into the empty seat beside him. Then, all of a sudden, the dishes surrounding him slowly morphed into plates full of succulent beef, roast chicken, soup and other such delicacies, to which Kyungsoo could only stare at in wonder. Lifting his head again, he saw that the silver tray in Baekhyun's hands now held an enormous roast pig, which the boy smiled at proudly as he placed it down on the table.

It was a feast fit for Queen Victoria herself, and Kyungsoo instantly turned to Jongin for answers. "Did Baekhyun cook all of this himself?"

"Well, I'm not sure I would call it 'cooking', per say," Jongin murmured in return, his nose scrunching up with a smile as he spoke. "But yes, he prepared it himself. In the simplest terms, Baekhyun can manipulate inanimate objects, and he just so happens to be a brilliant organiser of banquets on top of that."

Too stunned for words, Kyungsoo decided the only thing to do was to dig in.

"So, tell us! What is it like in fair old London?" Luhan asked in a playful tone, silencing those nearby and opening them up for a more collective conversation.

"Yes, please tell us!" Yixing chirped, and Kyungsoo saw that he had taken a seat further down the table, on the opposite side of it.   
Looking around, he also recognised a few faces from their arrival: Henry and Amber sat on the other table with their respective friends, Song Qian being one of those near to Amber. Jennie and Momo could also be spotted sitting together across the room, and Kyungsoo was happy to see that Felix was now surrounded by children of a similar age to him.

"To call it 'fair' depends on where you go, I suppose," Sehun responded over his plate of food, flashing a sheepish smile when all eyes turned on him. "There are good areas and bad areas, as there are in most places."

"Can you tell us any stories about it? About your lives?" Baekhyun chipped in, his eyes bright with interest as he chopped his chicken into bite sized chunks. "It has been so long since I visited Earth, let alone London."

Despite the excitement in his voice, Kyungsoo's heart sank at the boy's last statement. Baekhyun must have been here for such a long time already.

"Do men still take the female roles in plays?" asked a boy to Baekhyun's left, who had chestnut coloured hair which fell round his face in tight, messy curls. His eyes were almost as large as Kyungsoo's own, but his did not shine as brightly as this boy's did.

With a tut, Baekhyun elbowed the boy lightly and gave him a disapproving look. "Chanyeol, that was ages and ages ago, back in the tenth century or something."

Despite himself, Kyungsoo couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange. He decided not to spoil Baekhyun's moment of power with the knowledge that he was incorrect.

"Fortunately not," he replied instead, an amused smile on his lips. "But my brothers and I see a lot of performances. There is a very talented playwright named Oscar Wilde whose plays we adore."

"He sounds fancy!" Chanyeol gasped, and the rest of the table nearby laughed heartily.

"In that case, you absolutely must act one of them out for us later," Junmyeon chimed in with a mischievous grin, his tone still indicating that they had a choice in the matter.

"Yes, you must!" came the awed gasps and cries of the others around them, and Chanyeol's face positively lit up at the idea.

"Excuse me," Jongin butted in then, the sound of his voice causing the table to quieten down again. "I'd like to spend some time with my Kyungsoo later, if you don't mind," he stated in a mock pompous tone, and a collective sound of teasing and laughter echoed around them.

All the while, Kyungsoo's heart was beating out of his chest at the ever so subtle addition of a possessive article.

"Oh? To do what, ah?" Luhan grinned as he playfully jabbed Jongin in the waist, the latter knocking lightly into Kyungsoo with each push. Again, the noise level of the table grew slightly as they all cooed and teased, Kyungsoo's cheeks only growing redder and redder when he caught his brothers both giving him the same mischievous look. He could only thank the stars they were not still in London, for such innuendos would get them all in trouble.

The dinner went on in this such fashion, with the honorary guests Kyungsoo and his brothers remaining the focus of the conversation, fulfilling the many requests to tell stories of their lives on Earth. It was strange to talk like this with company, for if it weren't for the topic, Kyungsoo could almost forget for a moment that he was anywhere but in London. Then, every now and then, he would catch sight of a tiny golden fairy snoozing lazily on a girl's shoulder, or a boy's hair changing colour every time he laughed, and he would be reminded of where he was.

He found that, despite their similarly loud and excitable personalities, he had also taken a particular liking to Baekhyun and Chanyeol, though they soon crept away into each other's company once the banquet was over and so Kyungsoo resolved to speak to them more another time.

"Kyungsoo." Jongin's soft voice met his ears just as he was watching Zitao play Clair de Lune, several bodies gently swaying to the music by the piano.

Kyungsoo turned his head slightly, and Jongin's soft lips caught his temple in a kiss that was barely there. "Would you care to join me tonight?" the tanned boy whispered, though Kyungsoo didn't struggle at all to hear him over the noise. He merely hummed in agreement and met Jongin's eyes with a fond smile, the two of them slipping silently away from the party.

Out in the corridor, Jongin easily intertwined their hands and Kyungsoo's head struggled to catch up. It felt so surreal to be acting so naturally with affection, but he supposed they had nothing to be afraid of here. It was just going to take quite a bit of getting used to.

"I'm so glad you came with me, hyung," Jongin said, a soft smile playing on his beautiful lips. "My brothers adore your company, I can tell."

"But do you?" Kyungsoo retorted conspiratorially, and Jongin instantly shot him a wounded look.

"Hyung!"

"I'm joking, don't worry," the elder laughed and gave Jongin's hand a light squeeze, which was returned despite the playful yet indignant pout.

"Such a tease."

"Please," Kyungsoo chuckled again, "I'm not half as much of a tease as Luhan."

To that, Jongin nodded his head deeply in agreement and the both of them burst out laughing, the sound echoing in the night as they passed through the same open air corridor as earlier. "That is definitely true. To say he's my best friend, he lives to make my life hell."

Residual laughter still spilling from his lips, Kyungsoo tugged gently on Jongin's arm. "Hey, that's what best friends are for. They exist to tease and embarrass us, I'm sure." There was a beat of comfortable silence, then Kyungsoo spoke again. "Your brothers though, they're very sweet. I should like to spend more time with Baekhyun and Chanyeol more, I think."

"Ah, I knew you would love them, and they you," Jongin grinned, moving his arm to wrap it around Kyungsoo's shoulders and curl the smaller into his side. "I think they both lack a few brains, but they make life much easier for me. They're like walking bundles of joy."

The image has Kyungsoo chuckling all over again, and he nodded in agreement of that. "Indeed, I hope I can get to know them better soon."

As the two of them reached the end of the corridor, Jongin lifted the door handle and pushed in a way that Kyungsoo just knew would only work for Jongin, and the older ducked beneath his arm to step into the room, Jongin's bedroom. It was enormous - as expected - but Kyungsoo barely had time to take in the scenery before the taller's hands were upon him again.

"For now, it is my turn to get to know you better," Jongin murmured mischievously as he walked Kyungsoo backwards a few steps to the bed, the latter managing to perch himself on the end as Jongin crawled into his lap. Suddenly, Jongin's lips had found his and they were kissing like never before, the heat of it taking Kyungsoo by surprise and stealing his breath away.

He was no stranger to Jongin's lips, of course, but it somehow felt familiar and yet so new at the same time, the way Jongin's mouth effortlessly worked his own open without yet going any further. He was tantalisingly gentle, leaving Kyungsoo's mind teetering on the edge of insanity as the intoxicating frustration only grew with every touch.

His body was set alight when the tanned boy's lips left his, only to explore parts of his skin that set his nerves on fire. Before long he was burning with desire, the two of them both with cheeks dusted red and beads of sweat prickling their skin.

Wrapped up in a world that only they knew, Jongin devoted himself to Kyungsoo's entire being that night, their souls finding each other in heated touches, endless kisses and promises of never letting go. 

Kyungsoo vowed never to let go, for he feared that he would no longer survive if he did. This boy had changed his life so suddenly, left his imprint in so many places that it could never be washed off, no matter how hard Kyungsoo tried. Whatever happened, wherever he went, he would always have a trace of Jongin with him now, emblazoned on his soul.

This was the thought that occupied his mind as he lay atop Jongin's arm hours later, staring blindly up at the ceiling whilst Jongin drew soft doodles over his skin with his forefinger. 

"You have stars on your ceiling, just like mine," Kyungsoo finally whispered, his voice still sounding too loud in the silence of the room.

"So I can look at them every night and imagine I'm with you," Jongin whispered back, not even a moment's hesitation preceding his answer. 

The notion tugged Kyungsoo's heart impossibly tight, and he turned his head to steal the nth kiss of the night from the younger's lips, leaving an unbearably soft smile in his wake. 

"The day I met you... I remember it so clearly, hyung, just that moment." Jongin's finger continued to glide lightly over the skin of Kyungsoo's chest, so light that it almost began to tickle. "We must've been four or five, barely even children. I was probably flying around without Dae as I did so often back then and I saw your little star lamp through the window. I mean, I saw the dots of light it was making in the night sky."

For a moment, Kyungsoo suddenly wished he had his star lamp here with him. It was so precious to him, and to think that it was the reason he and Jongin had ever met made it even more so.

"I remember," he whispered in a soft interjection, immediately answering Jongin's questioning gaze. "I met you in my dreams."

"We played for so long that night that I got a heavy scolding when I returned. Junmyeon always said not to fly without Dae, and when I hadn't been seen for hours he was beyond worried." Releasing a soft chuckle at the memory, Jongin's eyes remained fixed on his own finger. "I couldn't help myself though, hyung. I just had to keep coming back, but for some reason you didn't seem to remember me. It took me about three, maybe four visits to realise why."

Turning his gaze from the stars glowing on the ceiling, Kyungsoo's eyes searched Jongin's face for any hints as to why. All he saw was nostalgia, and perhaps an ounce of long forgotten pain. After a beat, Jongin's gaze met his and the boy shifted his head slightly on the pillow, allowing him to study Kyungsoo's flawless features easier.

"Kris.. The story goes that he was just like all of us here once, barely the age of a man when his imagination got the better of him. His soul was carried away to Neverland, where they say the land itself enticed him and drew him in deeper, sent him insane even. You see, this place is like a dream come true, but nothing that is too good to be true is ever real."

"Except you," Kyungsoo butted in ever so softly, mirroring the tiny smile that tugged at Jongin's lips.

"And you, my love." Jongin dropped a light kiss on the other male's forehead before continuing his story. "Nobody knows if any of this is true, but somewhere along the line Kris became obsessed with this place, drawing an immense amount of power from who knows where to build an empire that has spanned the length of time as we know it. I suppose you could say he became the ruler of this world, capturing young people through their wild dreams and imaginations and pulling them in until they were lost with no way back. Then, twelve years ago, my brother became one of the lost."

"Twelve years ago," Kyungsoo echoed as his mind reeled to remember where he had heard that. Then it dawned on him - the newspaper. "You were from London.."

'After twelve years, wealthy family from London still searching for their missing sons, Junmyeon and Jongin.'

"Once upon a time," Jongin murmured, the most heartbreaking smile settled on his lips. His eyes had begun to sparkle in the darkness of the room, and Kyungsoo swept a gentle thumb beneath Jongin's eye to catch the first tear.

"Kris is a monster, as he has always been, and he was the one who trapped my brother with what he called love. When he realised what had happened, under the impression that it was his own foolish mistake, Junmyeon chose to stay on the grounds that I could stay with him, for who wouldn't want to live in Neverland?" There is a sharp, blood fuelled hatred in Jongin's voice that almost made Kyungsoo shiver, but of course it was understood. "Kris always saw me as a burden, something stuck in the way of him and his prize. This is the only thing that makes it easier to believe even for a moment that he loves Junmyeon, since he would only ever have let me stay in order to keep my brother by his side. It is a blessing for me only in the sense that, in order to keep me out of his sight, he agreed to give me the freedom to fly wherever I wanted, including to your world. Junmyeon wasn't so lucky. He has not set foot in the mortal world since he was fifteen years old.

"So that is how I met you," Jongin carried on after a moment of quiet, forcing a half smile back onto his lips as he met Kyungsoo's understanding gaze. "Unlike most of the others here, I have the freedom to pass between my world and yours whenever I wish, so I spent my childhood hopping between them and checking up on you every so often.

"Except.. Kris isn't that indifferent towards what I do. For just a moment back then, Junmyeon hesitated over whether or not he wanted to stay with Kris, and it was because of me. Kris will always, always resent me for even just that second of reluctance I caused, so.. I suppose he cursed me." With a quiet, almost inaudible gulp, Jongin's gaze dropped away from Kyungsoo's.

It was almost as though the words were stuck in his throat, just waiting to finally get out and leave devastation in their wake. 

This was going to be hard to hear, Kyungsoo knew, if only for how hard it was for Jongin to say the words. And so he braced himself.

Turning on to his side and laying a palm on Jongin's cheek, he watched as the boy's eyes welled up with tears full of pain, regret, sorrow. Everything that Kyungsoo never wanted to see in those deep, deep brown eyes.

By the time Jongin's lips part to speak once more, his shoulders were visibly trembling as he drew in a shuddering breath. "I can never love anyone, Kyungsoo."

The words were like punch after punch to Kyungsoo's stomach, his heart cracking even though he had feared the worst. Tears prickling at the backs of his own eyes, his hand slid round to thread through the hair at the back of Jongin's neck, and he held on tight as the two of them held each other's gaze.

"All it takes is a touch, just a brush of my skin against yours charged with intimacy, and I'll lose you all over again," Jongin whispered into the space between them, his voice trembling with tears. "This.. this is what makes you forget me, Kyungsoo, back in your world."

He punctuated his words with a tender, lingering press of his lips against Kyungsoo's, and all of a sudden everything made sense.

"That's why you.." Kyungsoo started, trailing off as his lips brushed lightly over Jongin's.

The boy nodded, sniffling quietly with a tortured smile. "That's why I can't kiss you, Kyungsoo, that's why I've had to stop you so many times before. For whatever reason it isn't the same here in Neverland, for which I thank the stars every minute of every day."

As though to prove some unspoken point, Kyungsoo closed the tiniest of gaps between them and kissed Jongin harder, with so much intensity that the message was undeniable - he was going nowhere fast. "I'm not leaving you, Jongin," he breathed in between kisses.

Each one was returned by Jongin with just as much heated desire, though there remained a certain level of pure affection that kept them grounded for now. Even so, Jongin rolled them gently until his chest was pressed atop Kyungsoo's, their legs fitted between one another like the perfect jigsaw puzzle. Their lips parted from the shift and the added weight pushed a soft breath from Kyungsoo's lips, and he opened his eyes to meet Jongin's gaze with an equal amount of love to that which he found there.

Lifting his head just slightly to brush their lips, Kyungsoo murmured against them, "You showed me the stars when I was barely a boy, Jongin, and now I am looking at the brightest, most beautiful star in my sky."

"If I am your star, then you are my universe," came Jongin's hushed reply, before the pair sank back into the pillows in a mist of kisses filled with adoration.

~

When Kyungsoo awoke, there was a gentle ray of moonlight flowing in through the window, illuminating the room just enough for him to see in the dark. A figure cloaked in shadows stood with its back to the bed, staring out of the window at something Kyungsoo could not see.

"Come with me. I want to show you something," the figure whispered, turning just enough for the light to cast over Jongin's face.

By the time they had dressed and made it outside, the day was just beginning to break over the horizon, no more than a semicircle of deep red light peeking over the horizon.

Silently, Jongin led them out through the woods and back out onto the beach, towards a small dock which extended out across the water. As they neared the ocean, the younger male pressed his fingers to his lips and released a long, high pitched whistle, before sinking down on to the wooden planks at the very end of the dock.

Joining him, Kyungsoo waited with bated breath for whatever they had come to see, his gaze sliding between Jongin's expectant expression and the calm, rippling water.

All of a sudden, there was a tiny splash just a few metres away from them, and then one, two, three heads slid gracefully up out of the water.

Before long, they were surrounded by a dozen mermaids bobbing gently in the sunlit water, the very first rays of light beaming down and illuminating one side of their faces, making them seem even more ethereal.

"They're beautiful," Kyungsoo gasped, barely able to find the words as he admired the flawless complexions, the effortless, glossy shine of their hair as it framed their faces.

A gentle splash of water fell on to the skin of Kyungsoo's left hand and he turned to see a young merman, seemingly no older than himself, rising out of the water just enough to lean on the dock. His beautiful, captivating eyes were locked on Kyungsoo's face, and said male found himself enchanted as he felt himself being drawn in slowly, ever so slowly.

Jongin's hand fell protectively on Kyungsoo's back then, and the most impossible sound left the tanned boy's lips. It was almost an echo, a noise that Kyungsoo himself would never be able to imitate however hard he tried for it was so strangely unique.

The merman's head snapped across to Jongin, his eyes suddenly filled with fire.

A name, Kyungsoo realised. The sound was his name.

"Leave him alone," Jongin spoke, his voice dangerously low as he refused to break the merman's gaze. "He is not yours."

The faintest chill ran down Kyungsoo's spine at the realisation that he had been in danger, though he had not known it. He watched as the merman sank back into the water, his eyes remaining fixed on Jongin until he was out of sight. The mermaids soon followed suit and the spell was broken, Kyungsoo's head snapping up as he watched the bodies swim out into the ocean like dolphins.

"They are one of the many reasons one can be lured in so easily here," Jongin explained, the hand on Kyungsoo's back rubbing gentle circles into the skin through his shirt.

"I can see why," murmured Kyungsoo, his gaze lingering on the ripples in the water. "They are the most beautiful people I have ever seen."

"Creatures," Jongin corrected, though with a gentle smile, "but beautiful all the same. They're charming creatures, but they're terribly corrupted. Legend has it that a long time ago, they tricked the pirates out of an incredible fortune, so the pirates punished them by making them slaves."

"Slaves?" Kyungsoo frowned.

"They carry out the pirates' dirty work." A sheepish, joyless smile crossed Jongin's lips, as though the idea pained him as much as it did Kyungsoo. "They have been paying for their treason ever since. I believe that it has just become a way of life for them, to an extent. I think that's why some of them can be a little.. malevolent from time to time."

"You mean the merman just a moment ago.." Kyungsoo guessed, and was met with a solemn nod from Jongin.

"They can be greedy, you see." With a soft sigh, Jongin pulled the older gently into his arms. "But I will never let them hurt you."

~

Later that evening another party was in full swing, though this time the tables lined the edges of the room, leaving the entire floor space free for dancing.

This time, the air was filled with Zitao's rendition of Chopin. Gripping Jongin's shoulder a little tighter as they swayed gently together, Kyungsoo quietly watched the others around them doing just the same thing; a soft chuckle escaped his lips when he spotted Song Qian coaxing Felix on to the dance floor with a playful smile.

Baekhyun was swaying lazily alone with a beverage in hand, one elbow resting atop the grand piano until a young girl with dark hair made her way over to him. Kyungsoo watched on as she seemed to ask him to dance, to which Baekhyun blinked in apparent surprise before nodding and following her on to the dance floor.

The scene was interrupted when Sehun and Luhan suddenly appeared beside Kyungsoo, the former's eyes glued to their feet as he moved in a regimental manner. Out of the corner of his eyes, the eldest brother noticed Zitao looking rather grumpy as he continued to play. "Kyungsoo hyung, we are practising for the annual masquerade dance. Do I look acceptable?" Sehun asked as they danced nearby, eyes never leaving the floor.

Along with an amused snort from Jongin, a roll of Luhan's eyes and a stifled laugh from Kyungsoo himself, he replied, "Relax, brother. It is not an examination."

With a soft grumble from the younger, Sehun and Luhan moved away once more, and Kyungsoo gave a small shake of his head in disbelief as Jongin laughed. "He is beyond sanity," the tanned boy commented, and Kyungsoo could do nothing but agree.

Turning his attention fully to the boy he was dancing with, Kyungsoo was struck by the memory of his first and only visit to the masquerade dance. At least, it felt like a memory from how much detail he had been told about it.

Thinking aloud, he said wistfully, "I wish I could remember the first time we danced together, Jongin."

With a soft smile of understanding, Jongin immediately lifted his palms to rest on Kyungsoo's temples, his eyes falling closed in concentration.

And then Kyungsoo was transported right back to what could only be that night. The image of himself twirling into Jongin's arms filled his mind, the feeling of his own body soft to the touch. This was clearly Jongin's memory, but it was more than he could ever have wished for.

"I was expecting to twirl into a lady, I must admit, but you're probably a lot more beautiful than any of them."

The sight of his own lips curling up in amusement, the sound of his own voice replying. It was the most unusual experience, but what warmed his heart more than anything was the undeniable feeling of Jongin's nerves tingling through his body.

"My name is Jongin. Now may I continue flirting?"

Kyungsoo couldn't help but laugh at such an audacious attitude as the present world returned to his focus, Jongin's handsome face beaming down at him as those strong hands fell back down to his waist.

"There," Jongin said. "Now you can remember."

"You are terrible," Kyungsoo laughed as his arms slipped around the younger's waist in a tight embrace, and the two young males carried on dancing joyously.

The party continued way into the night, with Jongin and Kyungsoo eventually finding their way back to each other after hours of socialising and dancing with others around them.

Zitao's role had been taken over by another equally talented pianist, though this one's repertoire featured a great many more upbeat tunes.

At that moment, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were ruling the dance floor. With their arms linked and the widest smiles ever to be seen on their faces, they laughed and skipped in a circle around each other before swapping arms, continuing on in this crazy way as the other residents cheered them on with loud laughter and clapped to the beat of the music. There was so much happiness in the room, it was easy to feel as though one never wanted to leave.

Watching the two dance with laughter of his own, Kyungsoo reclined against his chair as the adventures of the night began to take their toll on him.

"Chanyeol and Baekhyun must be very good friends," he commented in an absent-minded manner, half directing the statement at Jongin.

Said male, who had been occupying himself with finishing off all of the half glasses of ale people had discarded on the table, gulped down the last of his current drink before turning around to observe the two dancing males.

"Mm, indeed," he murmured after swallowing the last mouthful. Lounging back in his chair, he threw an arm lazily over the back of Kyungsoo's seat. "No words can describe the strength of their friendship.. it's beyond comprehension. I don't think I've ever seen a love as deep-rooted as theirs."

"How long have they been here?" Kyungsoo asked, his eyes flicking to Jongin's face before returning to the males in question.

"Centuries," is all Jongin had to say to make Kyungsoo's heart ache. "They were best friends even back on Earth. They say their souls were lost together, that they shared a dream and wandered too far with their hands held tight. They never speak of how it happened any more, but I think Chanyeol was first. I don't think Baekhyun could live without him."

"I can see that," Kyungsoo responded, adding when Jongin gave him a look of confusion, "in the way they look at each other. It is like you can feel how much it would destroy them to be apart."

With a fond smile, Jongin nodded. "They always said they wanted to grow old together, have children and grandchildren and a sweet little house on a beach front somewhere. They had so many plans for the future."

"Do you? Have plans like that for the future?" Kyungsoo questioned, his eyes finding Jongin's face again.

With a small smile, Jongin shook his head. "No. I never wanted to grow up, ever, and now I won't. Soon, I will turn seventeen and stay seventeen, never having to work, never having to settle down. I can just play and have fun with my brothers forever. The only bad thing about being here is you forgetting me." Something deep in Kyungsoo's stomach churned at that answer, even as Jongin continued, oblivious, with the warmest of smiles on his lips. "Now that won't even be a problem, since you can stay."

Despite the unsettling feeling growing in his gut, there was a faint lilt to Kyungsoo's lips when he spoke, his voice ever so soft. "I will be turning eighteen in a few months, Jongin. I will become a man."

"All the more reason to stay here," Jongin responded easily with a slight shrug of his shoulders, still deaf to the sound of Kyungsoo's heart steadily shattering beyond repair.

"I will have to provide for my family, for my brothers. You understand that, don't you?" Kyungsoo carried on, his smile only growing sadder as Jongin's brows began to knit together slightly. "I will soon start work full time with my uncle's law firm, and I hope to one day become good enough that I can gain a reputation as an established attorney—"

"Hyung.. stop, please."

"—and after that, I hope to settle down and build my own family, with children running round and playing in the house I share with my partner—"

"Hyung, stop!" Jongin cried, so Kyungsoo did. Looking at the younger's face screwed up in misery, his eyes quickly filling with tears that mirrored Kyungsoo's own, it was more painful than anything he had ever had to witness. "Why do you have to ruin everything?"

"Because this is my life, Jongin. This is my reality." Kyungsoo's voice was firm albeit grave. Jongin needed to hear this. This had to end. "I've been thinking.. and the realisation suddenly hit me. The longer my brothers and I stay here, the more at risk we are of becoming lost souls, just like everyone else here. One day it will be too late, and we will never find our way back home, will we?"

Silence followed in the space between them, Jongin's gaze resting heavily on the floor at his feet as he swallowed hard.

"Why didn't you tell me, Jongin?" Kyungsoo's voice was barely above a whisper, broken and reflecting exactly how he felt.

After a quiet, shuddering sigh, Jongin's answer came. "I just wanted us to be together, hyung." Closing his eyes, he braced himself for the consequences, but he would never be ready to hear what Kyungsoo said next.

"Then that selfishness is all the proof I need to see that you are just a child. You will always be just a child, Jongin." With a tone full of conviction, all emotion slid from the older's face as he steeled himself. "My brothers and I will be leaving tomorrow morning."

Jongin's breath audibly caught in his throat and he made a grab for the other male, but Kyungsoo was already standing to walk away.

"Hyung, please! Please, come back..."

"Goodnight, Jongin," was all that Kyungsoo said over his shoulder before weaving in between the dancing bodies and disappearing.

In his bed that night, he lay there reciting every single moment he could ever remember sharing with Jongin so far, whether it be things he had heard or things he had actually been there for, just in case he lost his memory upon leaving Neverland.

Unbeknownst to him, Jongin spent the night lying awake in his own bed, crying until his eyes were sore.

~

"Luhan will escort you back," Junmyeon explained with a warm smile the next morning, and Kyungsoo exchanged a similar quirk of the lips with Luhan. Dae sat atop the boy's shoulder and although Kyungsoo wasn't close enough to make out his body shape, he noticed that the fairy's usually blinding glow was significantly duller today.

In fact, both a physical and metaphorical dark cloud hung over the entirety of the small gathering; the sky above was greyer than Kyungsoo had ever seen during his time in Neverland, perfectly reflecting the sullen expressions on the faces of everyone around.

Zitao and Sehun stood by Kyungsoo's sides as they said farewell to many of the friends they had made here, Baekhyun and Chanyeol included.

Once all was said and done, there was nothing more to do but leave. Except one singular thought that was hanging over everyone's heads, though nobody dared broach it.

Until Kyungsoo did. "Where is he?"

Luhan and Junmyeon shared a weighted look, one which only signified the worst for Kyungsoo. "We do not know," Junmyeon said after a painfully pregnant pause, his eyes falling to the floor before they meet Kyungsoo's. "I'm sorry."

Kyungsoo only flashed him a weak smile in response, before nodding and directing his attention towards Luhan. "Then I suppose it is time to go. Shall we?"

With a nod of his own, Luhan began to lead the way back into the woods, Sehun and Zitao falling into step close beside him. Just as he began to turn around, however, Kyungsoo noticed a tall, darkly dressed figure standing alone on one of the highest balconies of the house. 

It was Kris.

He had no idea how long the man had been standing there, watching them all, but he could only guess that he had been there a while. There was a moment or two in which the two simply held each other's gaze, until eventually Kris slowly turned and disappeared from sight.

~

"Well, this is you," Luhan sighed with a playful little grin, and Kyungsoo could not thank him enough for his attempts to lighten the mood.

Almost immediately, Zitao was in the fair haired boy's arms, the two of them embracing so tightly that it was difficult to see where one body ended and the other started.

"Hey, hey," Luhan cooed softly, his fingers coiling in the other's short locks. "Do not cry, Zitao." Then, with a playful snicker, "It makes you look ugly."

This earned a loud huff and a punch from Zitao, and his brothers chuckled as they watched the scene quietly. Without exchanging much more than a brief kiss of the lips - which had both Sehun and Kyungsoo blinking in mild surprise - the two parted once more, Zitao furiously wiping his eyes to keep the tears from spilling over.

Following a friendly hug with Sehun, Luhan gave his last farewell in a similar way with a tight hug. "For what it's worth, I am certain you will see him again," he whispered against the shell of Kyungsoo's ear just before pulling away.

"I am not," was all Kyungsoo could say in return, his smile soft yet full of pain and heartbreak.

With nothing more to say without being guilty of stalling, the four of them exchanged one final wave of goodbye before Luhan was launching himself high into the air, with Dae leaving a trail of golden dust behind them both.

~

For some unacknowledged reason, Kyungsoo had entirely convinced himself that life would simply return to how it had been before all of this, that it would just.. fall into place. Ironically, it came as a surprise when things did not naturally take this course.

Their neighbours and friends in the local area were under the impression that Kyungsoo and his brothers had returned to Korea with distant relatives, a story which they followed along with on the grounds that it was far easier than the truth. 

They knew nobody would believe them if they did explain where they had really been, but one thing did catch Kyungsoo's attention: when he stopped for a little while to talk with Minseok upon collecting their bread for the week, the young baker did not seem entirely convinced by the story. At least, that was if the knowing glint in his eyes was anything to go by.

Strangely, it reminded him of the conversation he had shared with Jongin in Neverland, about his and his brother's disappearances and how easy it seemed for one to remain in the land of dreams. The article he had seen in the newspaper before leaving had stated that Jongin's mother and father were still searching for their missing sons, a thought which nagged at the corner of Kyungsoo's mind for weeks following. 

Did they know the truth? Were they searching for ways to recover Jongin and Junmyeon's souls, or were they truly searching for their missing children on Earth? He wasn't entirely sure which scenario was more devastating.

There was nothing Kyungsoo could do to help without involving himself in matters beyond his control, and that was one of the things that tormented him more than anything following their return to London.

An endless stream of thoughts spilled irrevocably into the gaps of his mind each and every day that passed, seeping in when there was but a moment of unfilled time. The seconds that ensued the end of a conversation, in which the present company had departed and there was a beat of idleness in one's day-to-day life, were the moments which saw Kyungsoo in his most vulnerable state of mentality.

These were the moments that were dispiritedly consumed by memories so agonising that they kept him awake each night, his skin too hot and his cheeks stained with the reminder of an uncertain future.

These harrowing thoughts prevailed even as Kyungsoo sat opposite his superior at the law firm, the two men discussing potential progressions and achievements to be gained.

In that instance, the noise in Kyungsoo's mind, the fleeting images inside his head devoured the present, swallowing it until there was nothing left but the skin on the back of his neck prickling from the memory of desire.

The realisation that he would perhaps never again feel what it felt like to love so intensely was unsettling to say the least, but what terrified him more was the undeniable truth that one day even the act of recollection would be a struggle, that the images and sensations in his mind would eventually adopt a frustratingly hazy form until finally being completely irretrievable.

For now, it was almost excruciating to be reminded every day of how beautiful each moment with Jongin had been, at which point it occurred to Kyungsoo that he was never truly going to be triumphant over his emotions.

Months passed in such a fashion and, much to his dismay, the vivid memories indeed began to fade.

Life continued as it always would; having steadily gained the trust of the brothers' uncle and his colleagues, Kyungsoo was awarded the official status of a licensed lawyer and slowly began to take cases which would aid him in becoming a local household name. His superiors often gushed that he was a natural, winning cases with an ease which they had not seen for generations.

His eighteenth birthday soon rolled around and the extravagant party was nothing short of incredible. No expense was spared by his uncle, for the coming of age of their most reputable young lawyer was not to be handled lightly.

Anyone and everyone was present, a fact which had Kyungsoo bashfully hiding by the drinks table for the most part. He was discovered by Irene and Wendy later in the evening, however, though he was beyond delighted to see them and be able to catch up on their affairs.

But a few weeks later followed the night of the annual masquerade dance, to which Sehun managed to pluck up enough courage to invite Wendy. With a slight grin on his lips, Kyungsoo watched the two twirl around the room before sneaking off together a little later on, and he could only roll his eyes playfully at the sight. Suffice to say, his brother finally began to court the beautiful young lady after that. Though it was not without constant teasing from Kyungsoo and Zitao, the two could not be happier that their brother had chosen such a brilliant girl to devote himself to.

Alas, with such developments happening so suddenly in their lives, the adventures they had shared almost half a year prior now felt like dreams, though Kyungsoo could not deny that a certain tan faced boy still occupied his thoughts from time to time.

As difficult as it was, he was beginning to come to terms with the fact that they would never return to that time, and he was slowly learning to look upon the memories with a fond yet detached attitude.

Until one night.

With Sehun having taken Wendy out for a romantic dinner and Zitao at his weekly private piano lesson, Kyungsoo was left to wallow in the house alone.

Now that the opportunity had arisen, however, he was more than happy to stretch out on the chaise longue with the book he was currently reading. He was half-way through the murder mystery and the secrets were just beginning to unravel, leaving him utterly hooked and desperate to continue at every opportunity.

Therefore, it startled him beyond belief when a sudden, albeit soft voice called out, "What are you reading?"

Despite having well and truly lost his page after dropping the book in fright, Kyungsoo's gaze did not stray once from the gentle face peering back at him over by the window.

His heart was beating almost painfully out of his chest, though he was unsure now whether it was due to the scare or the sudden rush of emotions flooding his mind.

"J..Jongin.." he uttered in disbelief, his eyes widened completely as he rapidly blinked, almost as if to clarify whether or not what he was seeing was real.

Jongin offered a barely visible smile in return, though the poorly concealed pain in his features was clear to anyone. It was confusing, to say the least. 

For some reason seeming unable to meet Kyungsoo's gaze, his eyes remained fixed on the book on the floor. He nodded towards it, murmuring a quiet, "is it good?"

Kyungsoo's eyes lingered on the other boy's features for a moment longer, before they slid down to the book at his feet. Slowly, almost robotically, he leaned down to retrieve it. 

"Yes, it is. It's..." 

The words seemed as though they had been spoken by someone else, Kyungsoo's voice foreign to his own ears. The simple fact was that he had absolutely nothing to say about this book, yet everything to say about the boy standing in his drawing room. 

The room was doused in silence, Jongin and Kyungsoo each holding their breath unknowingly in anticipation. All the while, deafening white noise flooded Kyungsoo's mind, his thoughts too jumbled to make any sense of.

"Hyung," came Jongin's soft whisper, his voice as soft and hushed as ever in the delicate atmosphere around them. Fingers clenched tightly into his palms, he closed the distance between the two of them with careful steps, as though he were still too afraid to make any unnecessary sounds. "You were right."

"What?" Kyungsoo breathed, something akin to fear pooling in his stomach. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was simply the realisation that, whatever was to happen in the following moments, he did not want to face it.

"You were right. I see that now." Jongin dipped his head, afraid to acknowledge the silent plea in the other's eyes as he wrung his hands together.

"About what?"

Inhaling deeply, Jongin lifted his gaze. "You were right... that we cannot be together."

Kyungsoo did not know what it felt like to be stabbed, but he reasoned that it must feel something like this. His gut twisted and his mind raced, the weight of Jongin's words crushing him despite the fact that they were his own, once upon a time. "Jongin, please."

"No, hyung," Jongin shook his head, unwilling to entertain any response until he had expressed everything in his mind. "I understand it now, I see it. I've seen the kind of life that is laid out for you, in the law firm and—"

"You've been here this whole time?" Kyungsoo whimpered, but Jongin was not listening.

"—I cannot be in the way of that. You have to live your life."

The younger had closed the remaining space between them, his hands now clasping Kyungsoo's with a resolute kind of determination.

"You can stay here, Jongin, you— you can live here with my brothers and I," Kyungsoo tried, his brows drawn together as his vision began to blur. He could hear how desperate he sounded but he didn't care. "We have enough money to support you until you can find work, we can—"

"Hyung, stop," Jongin interjected, his voice cracking as his eyelids fluttered, trying to keep a brave face. "You know it can't be. Look at me, hyung."

A gentle forefinger lifted Kyungsoo's tear-streaked face to meet Jongin's eyes.

"You know it cannot be. I would have to work somewhere, most probably in an office but I know nothing except how to play and have fun. Even so, I watched you turn eighteen a few months ago as I reached seventeen, but I will reach no further, hyung. If I stayed here, it would only be several years before people began to question why I didn't look any older. And... Kyungsoo."

Said male clutched Jongin's bare hip painfully tightly, his hiccups and sobs too loud in the enormous room. His heart still jumped when Jongin called him by his name, and he wished that that feeling would never leave him.

"Kyungsoo, you would never leave your brothers behind, even for me," Jongin finally whispered, his palm cupping Kyungsoo's smooth, plump cheek. "And I cannot leave mine."

Even as the sobs continued to shake his body, Kyungsoo could not argue. Everything the younger boy had said was right and he couldn't help thinking that, even though Jongin's body would never grow older, his mind had already matured so much since they had last seen each other. Age was just a superficial concept, after all.

And yet, Kyungsoo found this conversation far harder to bear than any courtroom dispute.

"I cannot live without you, Jongin. I need you by my side," he pleaded, pulling the strangled sounds from his lips as tears cascaded from his cheeks.

"You have to try, hyung," Jongin breathed, pressing their foreheads together as though to savour every bit of the other man's touch. "And you will be okay, I promise. You will live. You will live in my heart every day and when I think of you, I'll be so incredibly proud of every part of you."

For just a moment, the two existed only for each other as they held one another as close as possible, not a hair's breadth of space between them.

Eventually, Jongin spoke again. "Kyungsoo hyung, I have to let you go now."

Gently prying Kyungsoo's fingers from his own, Jongin laid his freed hands against Kyungsoo's cheeks, cupping them in the most tender of touches. It wasn't until his gaze flickered down to the man's plush, glistening lips that Kyungsoo realised what he was about to do.

Jerking away, he shook his head. "No. Jongin, no," he said as sternly as he could despite the tears. "You do not get to take this away from me again. They are my memories to keep!"

"Kyungsoo, you have to let me. It's the only way for you to move on—" Jongin responded, his hands already reaching for Kyungsoo once more as the other male continued to pull away.

"No! I will find another way, I— you can't—!"

But he was silenced with the ever gentle press of those plump, soft lips against his own. Shoulders sagging with defeat, Kyungsoo could no longer resist leaning ever so slightly into the kiss, hopelessly trying to engrave the feeling of earnest, blazing love into his heart forever.

It was but seconds before the saltiness of his tears soaked through the kiss, and all too soon the pressure was gone for good. 

For what felt like a lifetime, Kyungsoo was left listening to the deafening silence of the room with his eyes still closed, until he curled his knees to his chin and grieved the irrevocable breaking of his heart.

~

Some days later, Kyungsoo and his brothers were gathered in the drawing room to enjoy one of Zitao's sporadic moments of musical mastery, with Rose quietly tending to their polite requests for tea and desserts.

"You are the most wonderful audience," Zitao gushed with a mischievous grin following a standing ovation from his brothers. As the other two settled down again, he carefully laid his fingers over the keys and began to play again.

"Chopin," Sehun chirped after a few moments, beaming with pride for having correctly named the song's composer. "You played this one at the party in Neverland, yes?"

Zitao's affirmation went unnoticed as Kyungsoo released a soft, playful snort of derision. "Neverland? Have you been reading too many fantasy novels again, Sehun?"

Zitao's cheerful note-playing gradually faded to a mere tickling of the keys in the background, the two younger brothers sharing an amused, albeit slightly confused glance.

"Don't be silly, brother," Sehun chuckled, gently prodding the elder in the side with his elbow. "You must have simply been too busy with Jongin to notice Zitao playing."

Zitao and Sehun both snickered softly at that. 

The piano's volume picked up once more, but it was not loud enough to drown out Kyungsoo's quiet, bewildered and almost fearful, "Jong..in?"

After a moment, Sehun gently wound an arm round his brother's shoulder and pulled him close. "Never mind, hyung. We were just joking with you."

Sharing yet another look of concern, a silent promise traveled between Zitao and Sehun and they soon engaged their brother in a playful dancing competition.

Thus, this thrilling chapter of their lives came to a close forever.

~

Some time in the summer of 1895, Kyungsoo watched from the open window of his bedroom as the sun slowly disappeared behind the houses opposite.

Only a handful of stars were scattered across the sky as it gradually grew darker, and Kyungsoo's eyes were drawn to the telescope by his side. His brothers had ferociously saved their money over the years and gifted Kyungsoo with the apparatus for his twentieth birthday that year, and it was safe to say that it had revolutionised his hobby of stargazing.

As much as he adored it, however, nothing would ever compare to his father's gift all those years ago.

His cherished lamp still held its place atop his dresser, though it no longer saw its own light often. Even now, as Kyungsoo turned it over in his hands and studied the intricate cutting of the metal, something urged him to strongly resist flicking the little switch to power it up.

He had no idea why but he had not looked upon its light for a long time, and the sentiment had only grown all the more compelling in the last couple of years.

Deep inside, he wondered whether it stemmed from a reluctance to spend money on a fresh bulb when it inevitably ran out of power, but he had a strange feeling, like an itch that he could never quite scratch, that there was another reason for his hesitance.

Alas, he did not know, so he set the lamp back on his dresser and moved back to the window, where he settled his folded arms against the sill and watched the stars once again.

The more he watched, the more he noticed that there was just one star, one single star that shone bigger, brighter and bolder than the rest.

He decided to call it his own.

*


	3. Epilogue

November, 1902

It was a terribly chilly winter compared to previous years, and Kyungsoo wondered if it might be a good time to invest in a thicker coat; if the chattering of his teeth were anything to go by, it seemed like he would need it. 

He wasn't too far from the bakery, thankfully, so he was soon slipping into the warm comfort of the little shop. Minseok appeared to be just taking the payment from his current customer, the two of them chatting as he did so.

"And Yixing? Is he still well?" Minseok was asking the young man. Kyungsoo turned his attention to the selection of freshly baked bread on display, trying not to seem as though he was eavesdropping.

"As well as ever. I promise to keep you updated." The man's voice drifted into Kyungsoo's ears despite his best efforts. Curiosity getting the better of him, he lifted his head slightly to sneak a glance at the young man. He was handsome, to say the least.

"Kyungsoo!" Minseok suddenly exclaimed, seemingly startled to find Kyungsoo standing just a little way away.

"Good afternoon, Minseok," Kyungsoo greeted the older man with a warm smile, his gaze flicking to the stranger briefly. "I apologise for scaring you. I didn't want to interrupt when I came in."

"Nonsense! It is completely fine," Minseok replied, if a little more skittish than usual.

An easy smile settling on his plump lips, the stranger gave a polite bow of his head in Kyungsoo's direction. "Indeed, I was just leaving," he said before shooting Minseok a faint smile, his eyes lingering on Kyungsoo's face just a moment longer before he bid the two farewell and left the shop.

"He seemed very pleasant," Kyungsoo commented as he met Minseok's gaze, the stranger's unique features lingering in his mind for a little while after their encounter. "Is he a regular customer?"

"Not as such. He comes and goes." Minseok's tone was dismissive, but Kyungsoo couldn't help observing that they seemed a little more familiar than suggested. Nonetheless, the thought was forgotten when Minseok's eyes lit up with playfulness in the next moment. "Besides, it seems I only cater to the rich and famous. How is life treating you, Sir Best-Selling-Novelist?"

"Oh, please," Kyungsoo chortled with embarrassed laughter, though he had to admit that he did feel quite proud of the achievement. "Will you be purchasing a copy of the latest book?"

"As always, my dearest customer, I will do my best to get one before they are all gone," Minseok replied, and that was enough to appease Kyungsoo for now.

As he made his way back to the house with the elder's finest loaf of fresh bread, Kyungsoo's thoughts were a jumble of wedding plans and novel ideas about a handsome man in a bakery. He wondered if they might ever see each other again.

He also wondered whether he should at least buy the wedding dress, for he knew that Wendy had an occasional taste for luxury. Even so, Sehun had expressed a strong desire to shoulder all of the costs for himself and his wife-to-be. His new barbering business had caused quite a stir amongst the good people of London, many of them enthralled by the handsome young man with the most precise skills they had ever seen. The ladies were often disappointed to find that he was already betrothed to another, but the business was not at all affected by this small fact.

Zitao had also insisted on paying for all three of their suits, a gift to his brothers using the earnings from his role as the theatre's regular pianist. Alas, his request had been shot down, too. Apparently, the only way to gain his forgiveness had been to attend the debut of his newest play last night, J.M. Barrie's 'The Admirable Crichton', which explained why Kyungsoo felt so tired on the day of his big release.

He couldn't deny how proud he was of his brothers, however. Their respective successes had come about in recent years and they had excelled beyond compare, the three of them often having been referred to as the "bachelor brothers", though that wasn't all true now that Sehun was to be married next spring.

Zitao had also met a beautiful young lady since joining the orchestra, whom he soon after began courting and had since stayed together.

That left only Kyungsoo, the eldest of the three and yet the one who, whilst his brothers were wrapped in their lovers' arms, would wrap himself in the pages of a freshly bought book until his mind had travelled somewhere far, far away from his body.

It was the only way to cope, sometimes, for it commonly felt as though something wasn't quite right when he was alone, like he was about to hear gentle footsteps by his side and feel warm arms curl around his body from behind. Nothing ever came, however, and he was left feeling a twinge of emptiness inside his heart.

Writing seemed to alleviate the feeling for a while, he found. It was easy to become lost in his all-consuming characters to the point where he felt that he and they were the same, and it was the adventures in his own life that he was writing so earnestly about. Perhaps he was simply inspired by the ground-breaking novelists who had preceded him, but the burning love and desire he wrote of in his novels seemed all too real, like he had truly experienced it himself.

And this was exactly what the publisher had observed when Kyungsoo was informed that they had decided to go ahead with production. "Elijah and Emmeline have the strangest dynamic, but I would not change it for the whole barkin' world!" the old man had roared, much to Kyungsoo's dismay. The man was rather peculiar, but he printed Kyungoo's books and paid his dues, so he didn't mind all that much.

Making his way to the bookstore now, he wondered if there really would be a crowd of buyers as predicted. Sure enough, the stands were swarming with adoring fans when Kyungsoo finally arrived, and he looked on at the scene with pride. 

It pleased him to see a variety of young and old, male and female, though the majority were admittedly ladies who gushed over the protagonist's devastating love story.

And so it was a surprise when his eyes fell upon rough, large hands by the stand after seeing so many dainty fingers clutching his books, and the surprise only grew when Kyungsoo looked up to meet the very eyes he had gazed upon that morning in the bakery.

"It's a terribly creative story, don't you agree?" the man grinned, and the mischievous curl of his lips seemed to take Kyungsoo back to a time long forgotten in his memories.

It was a time when every minute of his life brought a new twist, and his days were filled with both fervent love and excruciating heartbreak, yet he seemed to yearn for the feeling more than anything else in this world — it was a time when the emptiness in his heart was so beyond full that it might burst.

How strange it was to feel all this from a man he just happened to have met twice in one day, and still it felt as though he had known him for a lifetime already.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Kyungsoo murmured, gazing at the man with the strangest sense of déjà vu.

Stretching out his free hand, the man's smile only widened. "I'm Jongin."

~

Emmeline's fingers danced to the sound of his heart, following the beat like a form of morse code only known to them.

"Will you ever come back?"

"One day, my love, perhaps I will." Elijah's voice echoed in the darkness. "And when I do, I will paint you a deep blue sky and pepper it with stars so bright that they would glisten on your pretty, pretty cheeks. I will hang the moon perfectly amongst them, and we will dance along the sky like we are the only two people in the world."

"I will hold that day in my heart until it comes," came Emmeline's whisper.

"And it will. Just always be waiting for me."

*

End.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m no historian and I’m definitely not from the early 20th century, so if there are any historical inaccuracies please politely let me know in the comments!
> 
> Otherwise I really hope you enjoy this story. It’s been a long time in the making.


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